Silent Hearts
by MountainGirl74
Summary: At six years old, Namine joins a group for orphans who are mute due to a traumatic experience. Although she is painfully shy at first, she soon becomes close with the other children and begins to see them as her new family. But when her aunt and guardian, Larxene, tries to keep Namine away from her new family, the silent child rediscovers her voice.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter I

Clean, white walls, light blue tile floor and speckled ceiling tiles alternated with large panel lights constituted the empty hallway. The occasional painting or photograph hung on the walls to break up the monotony, and closed wooden doors hid rooms and other halls beyond. A tall, slim woman with blond hair and odd, greenish-blue eyes walked down the hall, her high heels clicking softly on the hard floor. Trailing behind her walked a young girl with white blond hair and skin as pale as snow. Her wide eyes were a clear, crystalline blue.

"Such a plain place," the woman commented, talking to no one in particular. The girl made no sign that she'd heard, simply following along in silence. Pausing at a split in the hallway, the woman looked both ways before turning left, and stopped a few moments later in front of a door set with a foggy glass window. A small bronze plate declared that the room beyond was the building's main office. The woman glanced back at the child following her and frowned to see her still several feet behind.

"Hurry up, Namine. I don't have all day, you know." Her tone was slightly irritated.

Nodding, the girl quickened her pace and stood close to the woman, reaching out a tiny hand to hold onto the woman's pant leg. The woman rolled her eyes, looking like she wanted to shake the girl off, but resisted and knocked on the door.

"Come in," a voice called. The woman straightened her clothes before opening the door.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Saix Tsuki," she said politely, stepping into the room with the girl close behind.

"You must be Larxene." A man with long blue hair stood from his place at his desk and extended a hand for Larxene to shake. She accepted, smiling and carefully avoiding staring at the large x-shaped scar that stretched across the bridge of his nose.

"Yes. I'm here with my niece, Namine." With one slim-fingered hand, she gestured to the girl.

"Hello, Namine," the scarred man greeted her, signing it at the same time. He smiled down at her. "My name is Saix."

Shy, Namine looked up at him for a moment before setting her gaze on her shoes, returning the sign without making eye contact.

Impatient, Larxene adjusted her purse strap. "Is someone coming to get her? I need to get back to work."

"Oh, yes," Saix replied, focusing on the woman again. "Our ward father, Lexeaus, will be here soon. He will take her to join the other children. They're in group therapy at the moment."

"Perfect." She turned and looked down at the girl. "Don't cause any trouble, Namine. I won't put up with bad behavior."

Nodding to show she'd heard, Namine looked up at her aunt with a hopeful expression. Larxene didn't seem to realize that the girl wanted something and turned back to Saix. "When do I need to be here to pick her up?"

"Whenever is convenient for you. We are fully equipped to care for Namine while she is here, so if you are not able to pick her up at the end of her sessions she can stay until you are available." As he finished speaking the door opened, drawing Saix' attention. Larxene and Namine also looked to see a tall, broad shouldered man with short, spiky brown hair and a very square jaw enter the office. "Lexeaus," Saix greeted him, "I would like you to meet Larxene Inazuma and her niece, Namine."

The man nodded. "Nice to meet you, Ma'am."

Larxene's eyebrows rose and she pressed her lips together, clearly offended at having been called "ma'am." She was rather proud of her appearance and didn't think she looked nearly old enough to be referred to as "ma'am." Lexeaus, however, completely ignored her reaction and instead held out his hand to Namine.

"Come along, Miss Namine. I'll take you to the others." He smiled, and the girl shyly put her hand in his. "The children are really looking forward to meeting you." With a nod to Saix, the square-jawed man led Namine out of the office and down the hall.

"I'll be back for her in a few hours," Larxene told Saix absently, checking the time on her watch.

He caught onto her impatience to leave. "Have a nice day, miss."

Not bothering to reply, the woman turned on her heel and left the office, the door swinging shut behind her. With a sigh, Saix returned to his desk and went back to his work, though he couldn't help but think that if the woman would bother to show her niece a little affection, the child might recover without the help of therapy.

XXX

It was quiet in the play room, though that was not unusual. With a fond smile, Dr. Marluxia Shizen watched the children under his care interact and play with each other. They spoke without words, their small hands little more than flurries of movement as they communicated through sign language. In the background, a violin played slow, sweet music to encourage a calm and peaceful atmosphere. The CD was one of the doctor's favorites.

At a knock, the pink-haired doctor got up and went to the door, aware that six pairs of eyes watched his every move. It was unusual for anyone to come to the play room during their sessions, and Marluxia was well aware that the change made the children nervous. He smiled to show that nothing was wrong and opened the door.

"Hello, Lexeaus. I presume our new client has arrived?"

The sound of the ward father's name had the children crowding behind Marluxia. They waved at him, all signing at once in an attempt to tell him about what they had been doing since they last saw him. Smiling, Marluxia looked down at them.

"Go to your places, children," he commanded gently, signing as well as speaking. "We have a new friend, so I want you all on your best behavior to meet her." All of the children but one quickly nodded and went to their designated cushions and sat, waiting patiently.

Marluxia kneeled to make himself eye-level with the remaining child. "Go on, Kairi. You'll meet her along with everyone else." Obviously reluctant, the girl nodded, but didn't go sit with the others. Instead, she went to the corner of the room, grabbed a light blue cushion out of the pile there and began dragging it over towards the others. Two of the other children, boys who could have been brothers, hurried to help her, and the three of them quickly had the cushion in place besides Kairi's light pink one. Their task complete, they settled onto their cushions to wait, the boys signing to each other excitedly.

Still kneeling, Marluxia turned and found himself face-to-face with the palest child he'd ever seen. _She must be albino,_ he thought to himself, studying the white blonde hair and blue eyes. _No child is naturally that fair._

"Welcome," he signed, choosing not to speak. "What is your name?"

"Namine," the child spelled out, her movements shy as if she was unsure of herself.

"You have a lovely name," he complimented, and she blushed lightly, the pink a beautiful contrast to her snowy skin. Marluxia offered his hand, and the shy girl released her grip on Lexeaus' thumb and let the pink-haired man gently pull her through the doorway. "Thank you for bringing her, Lexeaus."

"My pleasure, Doctor. Have fun with your new friends, Namine." The man waved and left as Marluxia closed the door. He led Namine over to the circle where the other children waited and sat her down on the blue cushion Kairi had chosen for her, then settled onto his own dark purple cushion.

"Everyone," he signed, speaking as well, "this is Namine. She's going to join us for our sessions." The children waved, some smiling at her while others simply stared or didn't look at all.

"Namine, I would like you to meet Sora," he pointed at the child on his left, a boy with spiky brown hair and deep blue eyes, who waved. "Roxas." A blond, spiky-haired, blue-eyed boy sitting to the right of Sora. "Axel." Another boy, though with incredibly spiky red hair and deep green eyes on Roxas' other side. He didn't look at Namine or make any indication that he was being mentioned. "Zexion." Dark blue hair covered most of the boy's face, though one eye the exact color of his hair was visible over the book he held. "Demyx." The boy beside Zexion smiled shyly and waved when he was pointed to, his blond hair styled into a mullet that looked oddly good on him. "And Kairi." Smiling, the girl sitting on Namine's right signed that she was glad to meet her. She had straight, pinkish-red hair and blue eyes even brighter than Sora's.

Her eyes glued to the floor, Namine signed a shy, "Hello."

"Kairi, why don't you show Namine where the toys are?" Marluxia suggested, knowing full well that the redhead would happily mother the shy blond to no end.

Nodding, Kairi took Namine's hand and stood, leading her over to where the toys were kept and showing her where everything was. The other children watched in silence, observing this newcomer with cautious interest. Smiling, the pink-haired doctor clapped quietly to gain their attention, then signed for them to go play.

Sora and Roxas immediately joined Kairi and Namine, signing and smiling and determined to get the new girl to like them. The four children began a game of what could only be described as house as Demyx asked if he could join them. They added him to their game and continued playing, the four friends doing their best to make Namine feel welcome.

Utterly silent, Zexion got up from his cushion and went to the large, plush lounge chair in the corner. He carefully set his book on the seat then climbed up after it, settled comfortably, and began to read once again. It was one of his favorite books; the pages were worn and familiar under his fingers as he carefully turned each one, immersing himself in the story of a sorcerer and his companions on their adventures. He knew most of it by heart, having read it countless times, but he was never bored with it. The book was the only thing that helped him remember his parents' voices.

Green eyes intent, Axel watched the other children playing from where he still sat on his red cushion. They were the closest things he had to friends. Part of him longed to join them, and he knew they would welcome him into their game and that it would make the doctor happy, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. It was too dangerous; he couldn't get close to anyone. What if they got hurt? What if he lost them, too? No. He wasn't going to risk it. He _wouldn't._ No matter what.

The red-haired boy could feel Marluxia's sad gaze on him as he went and sat by himself, away from the others. Even Zexion was closer to the game of house than he was, and the blue-haired boy had never participated in the younger children's games. Axel turned his back on the room and pulled a tiny lighter from under the toy bin where he'd hidden it. The tiny flame burst to life as he clicked it, and his hands began to tremble just slightly, making the flame waver. He stared at it, watching every flicker, memorizing the colors and shape.

After only a few short moments, he released the little lever and the flame went out, though the shape of the flame was burned into his eyes. Quickly, he slipped the lighter back under the toy bin. He wanted to watch the fire for longer, but if he did then the doctor might catch him, and then he'd be in big trouble. So he turned away from his hiding place and began putting a puzzle together where the doctor would see, trying to look like he was genuinely enjoying himself. Dr. Marluxia smiled when he saw the oldest child in the group settling down and moved to sit at his desk and work.

Papers in neat stacks were waiting for him to organize and put away into files, and there were several documents he needed to read through and sign. With a quiet sigh, the pink-haired doctor began to work, looking over each paper carefully to make sure he put it in the right folder. He wished he could use the time to play with the children, as he was meant to, but paperwork seemed to be using his desk as a breeding ground. Lately, each day brought more papers, though he knew the ones he was currently dealing with had to do with Namine's addition to the group.

Glancing up at the five children pretending to be a family, Marluxia smiled to himself, glad that the tiny blond was fitting in. She was very shy, though Kairi was definitely doing her best to overcome that. Fond memories of the redheaded girl replaced Marluxia's thoughts of paper work as he remembered when he'd first met Kairi.

She'd been shy then, too, and just four years old. Marluxia taught her most of the sign language she knew and for a while it was just the two of them in that big play room, practicing her signs. The early days had been hard for both of them. He remembered how she'd used a little marker board to practice her handwriting and to learn new words, and how she would get upset with herself if she couldn't quite grasp what he was telling her and would go work on something else for a while before trying again. But never once in the three years since he'd met her had she ever thrown a tantrum. His Kairi was much too level-headed for something so childish, and he was glad for it.

Marluxia was used to working with children who screamed, threw things, cried, even cursed, but that would never be the case with these children. Working with Kairi had been a completely new experience for him, and each new child brought new challenges. Sometimes he wondered what exactly had made him accept the job offer at Fuseiai's Home for Troubled Youths, but he never regretted it, nor would he ever. The children were his family, and he was theirs.

And Kairi, naturally, held an especially soft spot in the nostalgic doctor's heart. When she smiled, he could practically hear the clear, tinkling giggle trapped behind her tongue. Ever since that first smile, he'd been working towards the day when she would finally laugh, and his determination grew with every child placed under his care. With the arrival of Zexion, the second child to spend time in the play room, Kairi had taken it upon herself to help the doctor and was as much a mother to the others as she was a friend. He marveled at her maternal instincts, considering there were no female employees at the orphanage and Kairi had lived there ever since the shipwreck that made her an orphan. There was no explanation of where she got her knowledge from, other than vague memories of her own parents. Marluxia hoped mothering the others was Kairi's way of remembering her parents and that it would help her to heal.

Suddenly remembering himself, Dr. Marluxia shook his head and turned his attention back to the paperwork before him. Nostalgia had been creeping up on him a lot the past few weeks, to his minor annoyance. At least it only happened when he wasn't actively interacting with the children or at home.

He signed a form and put it in the new folder he'd made for Namine then checked the time. Lexeaus would be back soon to take the children to dinner and to fetch Namine and take her to be picked up by her aunt. Unless he went to visit them before he left for the day, this was the last time he was going to see them until tomorrow.

_The paperwork can wait,_ he decided, and went to play with Kairi, Namine, Roxas, Sora and Demyx. They enthusiastically created a character for him in their game, and Marluxia gladly played his part. This, playing with the children, was the best part of his job.

XXX

Cars rushed by, painfully loud to Namine's extra-sensitive ears. In the tree behind the bench she sat on, a bird was chirping. Looking up, she spotted the bird, an ordinary robin, and smiled ever so slightly. The bird cocked its head, peering at her, chirped once, then flew away. Namine watched it go, her smile fading as it disappeared into the distance.

_I want to fly away, too,_ she thought wistfully, kicking her feet because they didn't reach the ground. _I want to fly away and never be sad again._

She watched one of the cars, a flashy red sports car, separate from the stream of traffic and pull into the orphanage's driveway. It stopped by the sidewalk and honked, and Namine hopped down from the bench. Reluctant, her short legs slowly carried her to the car and she got in, fastening her seatbelt as the car sped away from the big brick building. Namine didn't look at her aunt, nor did she attempt to communicate with the woman in any way.

The miles passed in silence as the pale girl watched out the window, still imaging that she was bird and could fly away and never be sad again.

XXX

Author's Note:

Yay a new fanfiction! Surprisingly, I came up with this baby while mopping the floor at my old job. I just didn't have time to write it back then. Now I have a new job and lots of time to write! Huzzah! So, I'd love to know what you think! What you liked, what you didn't like, what you think should happen in the future! Anything at all! Hope you liked it!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter II

His keys jingled as he bounced them in his palm, whistling the tune from some commercial that had played during breakfast. It was still mostly dark out—not even seven a.m. yet—but he felt fairly awake despite having not gotten as much sleep the night before as he would have liked. His coat protected him from the cold breeze as he walked up the path to the front doors of the Home, selected a key, and let himself in. The halls were only dimly lit at this time, making everything appear just a bit creepy. His footsteps were the only sound.

Pausing, Mister Marluxia knocked quietly on a door labeled "Security."

Movements sounded from inside the room and the door opened to reveal a tall, imposing man with black dreadlocks. "What are you doing here so early, Doc?"

"Paperwork." The two men grimaced at the same time. "I've been playing catch up for days so I decided to come in early and get it done before the kids are up."

The dreadlocked man smiled. "You sound like their father."

Marluxia fell silent, a wistful look coming into his eyes. It wasn't common knowledge that he thought of the children under his care as his family, but the pink-haired man felt no discomfort with the night guard knowing. "We're their only family, Xigbar. It's sad, but this is the only home they have."

Silence followed his words. Both men knew he was right, but neither liked it. With a sigh, Marluxia waved and continued towards his office. The paperwork was waiting for him, and he stared at it as he dropped into the chair by his desk. If only Saix had been the one responsible for all this. He was the Home's secretary, so filing was usually his job. Not this time, because Namine wasn't living at the Home. That meant extra paperwork that Marluxia had to take care of, and he had to speak to her guardian on a regular basis.

Papers slowly moved around the desk as Marluxia read through each one and signed those he had to. Forms about his practice, forms about the Home and its rules, forms that required Namine's guardian's signature. After over an hour, Marluxia thought he'd made it through maybe a third of the stack. This really was going to take forever, and he'd never get it done if he didn't get the woman's signature.

Sighing again, he leaned forward and plucked the wireless phone off its charger. He should take care of this while he had the time.

XXX

Larxene's phone burst to life, the loud ring disrupting the early morning quiet. The blonde woman rolled and smacked the phone off the nightstand; it fell to the floor but didn't shut off.

"Damn thing," she grumbled. Her hand dropped over the edge of the mattress and she felt around for it, picking the phone up and peering at the screen once she found it.

An unknown number was calling her at eight in the morning? If it wasn't something direly important, the caller was going to know just how irritated Larxene was about having her sleep interrupted.

"Hello?" She listened as the person on the other end of the line spoke. "Does it need to be taken care of _now_?" An affirmative answer sounded through the phone. "Fine, I'll be there in twenty minutes." Before the caller could respond, Larxene ended the call and sat up in bed.

_Great. Today is probably going to be terrible._

Throwing back the blankets, the blonde woman stood and straightened her lacey, hot pink night gown before leaving her luxurious bedroom. She went to a door just down the hall, opened it without knocking, and flipped on the lights. The small figure in the bed twisted away from the brightness and hid its face.

"Get up. We're going to Fuseiai's." The door shut behind her as she left.

Several moments passed before the figure moved again. Tousled hair covered most her sleepy-eyed face as Namine got out of bed and dressed herself. Only a few minutes later she wore a lavender dress with white shoes and a white shrug, and her hair was neatly combed. The door opened again and a fully dressed Larxene with perfect hair and makeup came in.

"Good, you're ready. Let's go."

Namine followed her aunt out of the condo they lived in and to the front doors of the building; a valet waited there with the red sports car Larxene drove. She snatched the keys from his hand without so much as a glance at him and got in the car. Namine smiled at the valet as she got into the passenger seat and he shut the door for her. The blonde child barely had time to put on her seatbelt before Larxene sped away and joined the flow of early morning traffic.

In only a short time they took the exit to Fuseiai's Home for Troubled Youths and parked directly in front of the sidewalk to the front doors. It was clearly marked as a No Parking Zone, but Larxene ignored the signs and got out of the car. She snapped her fingers at her silent niece.

"Hurry up."

Quick to obey, Namine got out of the car and ran to catch up with the woman as they entered the Home and went straight to the office.

"Dr. Shizen called me this morning to come sign some forms," she announced to the secretary without pausing to greet him first.

"His office is down the hall on the left side with a plaque with his name. You can't miss it."

Larxene spun and left the office, though her niece stopped and signed "hello" to the blue-haired secretary. Saix smiled and returned the greeting then motioned that she had better catch up with her aunt. Namine smiled and nodded then left the office, catching up to Larxene just as she reached Dr. Shizen's door. The woman knocked then impatiently waited for a response, her hands on her hips.

"Come in," a tired voice called.

Larxene opened the door and stepped into the cluttered office. "You had forms for me to sign?"

"Oh, yes." He stood and shuffled through some papers, selected several, and handed them to Larxene. "I need you to read and sign these."

Nodding, Larxene took the papers, sat, and began to quickly skim through the forms and sign them.

Marluxia returned to his seat and resumed working, though he was interrupted only a few moments later when he felt a tug on his pant leg. He glanced down and saw Namine looking up at him, one tiny hand gripping the fabric of his jeans.

"Yes?" he signed.

The blonde girl released his pant leg in order to sign back, "Can I play with the others?"

Marluxia blinked and glanced at the clock. It was barely after 8:30. "They are still sleeping, but you can have breakfast with them when they wake up."

A shy smile appeared on the girl's face and she signed a thank you before going and sitting in the chair beside her aunt's. Her patience impressed the pink-haired doctor and he smiled, though he wasn't particularly surprised. Most of the children he worked with were very mild-mannered. His smile still in place, Marluxia went back to the paperwork he so hated, occasionally adding a sheet or two to the small stack that Larxene was supposed to read and sign.

Half an hour passed, and the doctor's phone beeped twice to alert him to the fact that it was now nine o'clock in the morning. "Namine," he said softly to gain the girl's attention, "you may join the others for breakfast now."

The blonde girl smiled and hopped off her chair as Marluxia stood; she took his hand without hesitating, and they left Larxene in the office as he walked her to the cafeteria. The children who lived at the home were all lined up to get their food, and watched as Namine and Marluxia approached. Whispers ran through the lines as everyone noticed the new girl. Then, much louder than the whispers, running footsteps sounded and grew closer and closer until Kairi all but tackled the blonde. Marluxia smiled and chuckled at the redhead's reaction to seeing the other girl and took them over to the table where Roxas, Sora, Axel, Demyx and Zexion sat. The two blonde's and the brunette smiled and waved while the other two boys offered only a cursory glance before going back to their breakfasts.

"Sit here," the pink-haired doctor signed, "I will get you something to eat."

Kairi immediately had Namine sit between her and Roxas. She was glad to see her again and wanted to know how long Namine would be with them that day. The shyer girl explained that she didn't know and that her aunt was in Dr. Marluxia's office looking at some papers. Kairi expressed her delight at seeing her again through a flurry of signs and gestures. Namine was being entertained by Sora and Roxas when Marluxia returned with a tray of food for her. She thanked him, smiling, and he patted her head.

"Look after her, Kairi," he instructed the redheaded girl, the beginnings of a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. Kairi nodded enthusiastically, and the doctor left the cafeteria to, reluctantly, continue plowing through the paperwork.

XXX

The door opened and closed; Larxene discreetly watched the doctor walk back behind his desk and sit.

_He's oddly attractive,_ she thought, examining the pink shade of his hair and his dark blue eyes. _For a therapist, at least._ His clothes were neat and she noticed his nails were surprisingly well-kept.

It was odd. She wasn't usually attracted to such…feminine men. For a moment, she wondered if he was even interested in women, then the wondering ceased and she decided to find out. Shifting forward in her chair, she leaned over the stack of papers so that, if he looked up, the doctor would have a partial view down her shirt. Larxene knew she was attractive, but she certainly wasn't easy and definitely wouldn't act like she was just to decipher a near-stranger's sexuality. This was as far as she was willing to go to satisfy her curiosity.

Minutes later the doctor finished the form he'd been looking at and glanced up. His gaze passed right over the revealed cleavage without so much as a blink of surprise, and came to rest on Larxene's face.

"If you don't mind, Miss Inazuma, I would like to ask you a few questions about Namine."

Larxene smiled flirtatiously. "Ask away."

"Could you tell me the circumstances of her parents' death? The official record states that they were murdered, but nothing else. I'm sure it's not something you like to discuss, but the information could be crucial to helping Namine recover." He appeared totally unaffected by her mild advances.

The blonde woman looked down and thought about her murdered family, letting tears fill her greenish-blue eyes. "Namine was five. My sister and her husband had plans to go out that night, but they stayed home because my sister caught a cold. A robber broke in…I don't know if he was there to steal jewelry or look for cash or just grab anything expensive he could find, but my brother-in-law walked in on the burglar searching his office. The police told me that he went back to the bedroom to protect my sister and Namine, and that instead of leaving the burglar went after him. He shot my brother-in-law, then..."

She paused, swallowing.

"Then he shot my sister. Namine was hiding under the bed and saw everything…she hasn't spoken since the police found her there. A neighbor heard the shots and called 911, but it was too late to save them…" she trailed off, fighting to hold back sobs. It had been over a year since the murders but she still had a hard time thinking about it, much less talking about it. Even if she acted like a cold-hearted, callous bitch to most of the people in her life, she missed her sister.

Marluxia was silent as he thought about what Larxene had told him. He couldn't imagine witnessing the murder of his own parents at his current age and certainly not when he was only five years old.

"I'm the only family Namine has." Her tone was regretful, thought Marluxia wasn't sure if the regret was because Namine had lost her parents or because Larxene was resentful of the fact that she was all but forced to raise her niece.

"Thank you for telling me," he said softly, taking on a concerned, comforting demeanor. "I know it wasn't easy."

Larxene nodded and wiped her eyes, careful not to smear her makeup, and took a shaky breath. "Is there anything else you need to know?"

The pink-haired doctor shook his head. "Not for now." He glanced at the clock on the wall then began to gather his papers together into neat stacks. "I'm sorry, but I've got a session in a few minutes. If it's not too much trouble, I'd appreciate it if you finished those forms and brought them back tomorrow." The smile he gave her was tired yet content and a little self-patronizing, as if he knew he had too much on his plate and yet continued to take on all the work he felt he should.

"It's no problem, Dr. Shizen." The woman stood and picked up the papers. "Have a nice day." Then she left, walking quickly to make it out of the building and to her car before she broke down. Safely in the driver's seat, she glared at herself in the rearview mirror.

"You are not going to cry," she told herself sternly. "You're stronger than this. Crying is weak. Get a hold of yourself."

Slowly, the lump in her throat faded, as did the sting of tears at the corners of her eyes. Her breathing calmed and she smiled at her reflection. Naturally, she looked like nothing at all was wrong.

Larxene Inazuma never allowed the world to see her struggle.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter III

It was a beautiful day. The trees and hedges ringing the playground provided just the right amount of shade for the children to play in with little fear of getting a sunburn. Most of them had taken their shoes off in order to feel the grass under their toes. Watching them play made Dr. Marluxia realize—not for the first time—how lucky it was that the Home even had a green area such as this. It was uncommon, considering its location in the city, but was one of the reasons Mr. Fuseiai had chosen the property he had when building the Home.

_It's good that the children have a place to enjoy fresh air without worrying about traffic or skinning their knees on asphalt._

The traffic of the city was nearby, but thankfully the trees and hedges helped to block it out, so the sounds were muted and seemed farther away than they really were.

Seated at the painted blue picnic table, Marluxia idly skimmed over yet another form. Early starts the last few days had helped him get through most of it; he was almost back to his regular documentation of sessions. If he worked through lunch, he might be able to finish it all.

A beeping sound from his watch alerted Marluxia to the fact that it was time for the first session of the day, and he set the forms aside. Sessions were always preferable to paperwork.

"Children," he called softly, knowing that their sensitive ears would easily hear him. "Come sit. It's time to begin."

Obediently, the children left their games and sat in a circle in the grass. A space was left for the pink-haired doctor, and they sat in their usual pattern. Marluxia was quick to join them, and smiled.

"Have you all been having fun?" he asked, hands gracefully moving through the signs. Nodding heads, smiles and signed yes's answered his question.

"I'm glad. Today we're going to talk about dreams. Would anyone like to start?

Sora raised his hand then signed, "Good dreams or bad dreams?"

"Either. You can tell about any dream you want. Take a moment to think of a dream, then raise your hand when you pick one. We'll take turns once everyone's decided."

One by one, hands were raised. The doctor nodded and they were lowered.

"Who would like to go first?"

No one moved. They'd discussed dreams before; it wasn't a very exciting topic, but that wasn't the point. Talking about dreams was a way to check progress. Dr. Marluxia wanted to see if recurring dreams had broken, if a nightmare was no longer frightening. Changes in dreams could mean the child was making progress, or even regressing. If the children were unwilling to share, then perhaps there were no changes to look for.

A friendly, encouraging smile overtook the man's face. "No one wants to go first? How about I tell you what happened in my dream?"

A few of the children smiled and nodded.

"Tell," Sora's hands commanded. Roxas nudged him disapprovingly and added,

"Please."

"Thank you, Roxas," Marluxia signed to the blond, pretending not to notice the embarrassed blush on Sora's face. For a moment, he paused, as if thinking, though really he was just building suspense in his audience. He knew they wanted to hear about his dream.

"It was very dark," he began, speaking softly as seven pairs of eyes focused on his hands. "I was all alone, and no matter how loud I yelled or how fast I ran, I couldn't find anyone or anything."

"Were you scared?" The question came from a worried-looking Demyx, and Dr. Marluxia nodded.

"Yes. I was lost and afraid. Then, suddenly, I saw a light. It was dim and far away, but as I ran towards it, it got brighter and bigger." The pink-haired man paused and the children leaned towards him eagerly.

"What was the light?" Kairi asked, her movements quick and impatient.

Marluxia smiled. "You."

A confused look went around the group.

"Me?" The redheaded girl didn't understand.

"Yes. All of you." He indicated each child. "I was lost. I didn't know what to do with my life. Then I found you. You children saved me from the dark, and now I know what to do. Now I know where to go. I'm not scared anymore. I'm happy."

Finished, Marluxia waited for a response; the children were looking at each other and signing amongst themselves. Seeming to reach an agreement, six of the seven children stood and crowded around the doctor, hugging him. Dr. Marluxia felt happy tears beginning to form and took a deep breath to hold them back. He wrapped his arms around the fragile bodies and sighed happily, letting his eyes close. When he lifted his head a few moments later, he saw Kairi standing before him.

"We love you, Doctor," she signed, an innocent smile lighting up her sweet face. "You saved us from the dark, too."

"Thank you," he replied, and then turned his attention to the one child that had not moved.

Namine was still seated in the grass, her crystal blue eyes focused on the dandelion she had picked. The yellow was unusually bright next to her pale fingers, but she liked it. Yellow was her favorite color—it was happy and warm, like the sun.

"Namine."

The quiet voice broke her concentration and she looked towards the doctor as the other children returned to their places in the circle. His kind eyes looked worried, and, for a moment, she wanted to run into his arms and nuzzle into his chest like she'd done to her father when he returned home from a long trip. But the doctor wasn't her father, and so she remained where she was.

The concern was replaced by a smile. "Would you like to go first? Tell us about your dream."

Nodding, the blonde girl gently placed the dandelion in her lap in order to use her hands. Briefly, she described a dream in which she was alone in her house. All the lights were on, even though it was very late at night. Someone was crying, but she didn't know who, and she couldn't find them because the doors to the bedrooms were locked. The crying got louder and louder. She tried to call out and tell the person that they didn't need to cry, but no sound came out.

"I tried and tried," she finished, "but it didn't work. Then I woke up." Her hands stilled and she kept her gaze lowered, needlessly embarrassed to be the center of attention. A sympathetic touch on her shoulder drew the blonde's attention to Kairi, who was smiling.

"It's okay," the redheaded girl signed. "We all have dreams like that."

Relieved that she wasn't alone yet sad that her new friends were just as scared as she was, Namine smiled and looked at the doctor. He had yet to offer any sort of reaction to her dream, and she was curious as to what he thought.

Marluxia lifted his hands when he knew the girl was watching. "Do you have this dream often?"

The blonde girl nodded. "Not every night, but a lot."

"Does it ever change?"

"Sometimes it is dark."

"How does this dream make you feel?"

For a moment, Namine considered the question. "Scared. Lonely. Sad."

"Why do you think you feel that?"

Again, she paused before answering, as if weighing her words. "Because I know that my mom and dad are gone and that I should be crying, but I'm not. Also because I want to help the crying person but I can't find them, and there is no one there to help me."

"Is there anything else about the dream that you forgot to say or want to share?"

Namine hesitated. "I think it is my aunt."

"Who?"

"The person who is crying in my dream."

"Does your aunt cry because your parents are gone?"

"No, but I know she is very sad and misses them."

"I see. Thank you for sharing, Namine."

Blushing, she returned her attention to her dandelion.

"Who would like to go next?" Dr. Marluxia asked, looking at the other children.

"Can we go around the circle?" Kairi suggested when none of the others volunteered.

Marluxia nodded his approval and indicated that Sora would start and Kairi would go last. The children seemed relieved that a decision had been made—none of them wanted to volunteer.

"Go ahead, Sora."

Small hands flying, the brunette quickly described his dream. He was at the park with his parents, having a picnic like they did every weekend. Their dog was there and Sora was playing fetch with him while his parents got the food ready. Then they called him over to eat, but their voices didn't sound right. They were high pitched and screechy, like smashing metal. It hurt his ears, but he pretended not to notice. He didn't want to make them feel bad. His dog was whining because he didn't like the sounds either. Sora went to play with him but he ran away, then everyone in the park suddenly vanished, including his parents. Left all alone, Sora sat on the picnic blanket and waited for someone to come find him.

None of this surprised Marluxia or the other children; they'd all heard about the dream before, except for Namine.

"Have your feelings about this dream changed at all, Sora?"

The brunette shook his head. "I feel the same."

Dr. Marluxia hid the small amount of disappointment he felt and smiled at the blond beside Sora. "Your turn, Roxas."

Nodding, Roxas lifted his hands and twisted them in the air as he formed the words to tell them his dream. "Something's chasing me, and I'm running, but I don't know what it is. At first I can run really fast, and it feels like I'm getting away, but then something heavy grabs my legs and I get slower and slower until I can't even move. When I try to take a step, I fall down and my legs won't move so I can't get up. The thing chasing me is getting closer and closer but I can't tell what it is, then right before I know it's going to get me, I wake up."

"The same as before?"

"Yes."

The pink-haired doctor nodded and turned his attention on the redheaded boy sitting to Demyx's left.

Axel blinked then realized it was his turn to share. "My eyes are closed, but even if I open them it's too dark to see, and the air stings them. My throat, nose and lungs hurt from the air so it's hard to breathe. The only thing I can hear is a loud roar and crashes. I'm trapped in a small room, and if I feel around the walls I find a door, but I can't get it open and the door knob burns me if I touch it. Then there's a louder crash, and a bright light, and it ends."

"Has anything changed since you last had this dream?"

"No."

"All right. Zexion?"

"It's dark and quiet and warm, and I can hear my mother's voice. She's reading to me." His small hands dropped for a moment to lightly touch the book in his lap. "It's always a different part of the story, but she always reads the very ending to me, no matter what."

Smiling kindly, Dr. Marluxia lifted his hands. "How does the book end, Zexion?"

A small frown creased the blue-haired boy's forehead. "I can't tell you that. You have to read the book first."

Marluxia chuckled. "Of course. I should have known better than to ask." Zexion's frown vanished and he nodded, lowering his gaze.

"Your turn, Demyx."

"My parents are walking down the street with me," the mulleted boy began. "We're holding hands. It's sunny at first, but soon it gets cloudy and windy and cold, then it starts to rain. The rain forms puddles that get deeper and deeper, and everyone walks through the water like it isn't even there. Soon I have to swim because I'm not tall enough, and then everything is underwater. I try to swim up but my parents are still holding onto me, and they won't let go. I know I need air so I try to get away but I can't." Small tears dripped down his cheeks. "They hold onto me and I drown."

Silent, Marluxia held his arms out and the boy quickly moved into his lap. The doctor held him, humming and stroking his hair in a soothing fashion. Perhaps such interaction between therapist and patient was frowned up, but these were children and Marluxia wasn't going to deny them comfort when they needed it.

"Kairi, it is your turn." He spoke without signing, his hands still busy with the task of calming Demyx.

The pink-haired girl nodded in understanding. "In my dream, I'm lost in a crowd of people. We're all running around, but we keep stumbling and falling like the floor is moving, and the people are yelling. For some reason I can't tell what they're saying. Suddenly, all the people are gone and I'm alone and it's dark and cold and scary, but all I can think about are my mom and dad because I don't know where they are."

"Does anything else happen?"

"No. It is the same as always."

"Would anyone like to say something before we end the session?" Marluxia asked, hopeful. So far, none of the children had reported any changes, though that wasn't exactly surprising. They took a moment to think before shaking their heads; there was nothing more to add to the conversation.

The doctor resisted a heavy sigh and helped Demyx to his feet. "That will be all for now. Go play."

Immediately, Sora grabbed Roxas' hand and dragged the blond towards the swings. This made Kairi smile, and she more gently took Namine along to join the two boys. Zexion, unsurprisingly, chose a shady spot to read in and buried his nose and his book.

Left with each other, Demyx and Axel shared a small nod before running towards the sandbox and the toy dinosaurs that had been left there. A silent war between Axel's carnivores and Demyx's herbivores raged as sand was sent flying.

Marluxia watched them all for a moment. He wanted to join them, but the stack of papers was still waiting on the picnic table.

_That's all I have left to do, and I'll be done with it._

With a sigh, he rose from his spot in the grass and returned to the paper work. At least he'd be able to get a decent amount of sleep tonight.

XXX

Trailing behind her aunt, Namine walked into the condo they lived in together. Her stomach growled, and she looked up at the blonde woman before her. She could ask what was for dinner, but she knew her aunt didn't know sign language. There was little to no point in trying to communicate with the woman.

Resigned, the white-blonde girl made her way into the kitchen and opened the fridge. It was full of take out boxes and leftovers from various restaurants her aunt had visited recently. Namine missed the days when it was filled with her mother's home cooking. But there was no use dwelling on the past, and she quickly pushed the thoughts of her mother away. The memories only made her sad.

Namine chose an unlabeled Styrofoam box and dumped the contents onto a plate before climbing up onto a stool and putting the food in the microwave. It wasn't the best supper, but it was the best she was going to get.

The microwave beeped and she removed the plate, careful not to burn her fingers, then carried her food to the large wooden table in the dining room. Her aunt had vanished and wasn't likely to show herself again before Namine went to bed, so the girl ate in solitude. Once the food was gone, she took the dishes back to the kitchen and put them into the dishwasher to be taken care of later—her aunt had a cleaning lady that came once a week to wash the windows and vacuum and take care of other such chores. She was a very nice woman and Namine liked her very much, though they couldn't really communicate because the woman didn't know sign language. But Namine would listen while she talked and did her best to show her reactions.

With her stomach full and her dishes taken care of, Namine went down the short hall into her bedroom and changed into her pajamas. The clothes she had worn that day were either put away or thrown into the hamper depending on if they needed to be washed or not. Then she crossed the hall to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and carefully combed out her hair. A small smile came to her lips when she thought about how proud her father would be if he could see Namine taking care of herself, but she was quick to remove such thoughts. She felt bad for making herself not think about her parents, but it only made her sad, and Namine was tired of being sad. She wanted to be happy again, and that wasn't going to happen if she kept letting herself miss the way things used to be.

Finished, she went back to her room, switched off the light, and climbed into bed. The nightlight she had cast a soft glow that was just strong enough for her to be able to see the faces in the picture on her bedside table. It was a photo of her and her parents, and Namine reached out to touch the glass with small, pale fingers.

"Good night, Mommy," she signed, sitting up in bed. "Good night, Daddy." Then she laid down and closed her eyes, hoping that she wasn't going to have the dream again, that maybe this time something about it would be different, that she'd wake up happy for the first time in months.


	4. Chapter 4

Keen golden eyes on the lookout for trouble, Mr. Xemnas Fuseiai observed the children of his Home eating breakfast. It was a gloomy morning and rain clouds loomed outside the windows, but inside it was warm and friendly, and the children were happy. Most were talking amongst themselves and laughing while they ate scrambled eggs, toast, and mini sausages with orange juice or milk to drink. Most, but not all.

There was one table that, as always, was silent, and the children sitting there, though smiling and happy, were not rambunctious like the few dozen other children. That table was reserved for the Silents, as they were generally referred to by the Home's staff. It wasn't that Xemnas didn't want the Silents to interact with the other children, but he knew the others could be a bit too loud for the Silents' sensitive ears. There was also the fact that the non-Silents didn't know sign language and so wouldn't have been able to communicate effectively. There was little point in mixing the Silents in with the Louds. It was better that they had their own table.

Mr. Fuseiai's gaze landed on six-year-old Namine. She was sitting beside a boy, Roxas, and appeared to be involved in a conversation about dragons. At least, that was what Xemnas managed to discern from the few signs he could see. The girl looked happy, and that made him happy, though he couldn't help but feel a small amount of concern. From what he'd heard about her aunt, she was probably better off at the Home than at home, as saddening as that was.

"Lexeaus." Mr. Fuseiai caught the ward father's attention and gestured for him to come over.

"Yes, Mr. Fuseiai?"

"How is our newest addition adjusting?" He nodded towards the blonde girl, long white hair momentarily hiding his eyes.

"Namine? She's doing well. The other Silents like her, and she's very well-behaved." There was a fond overtone to his words as Lexeaus spoke, though that wasn't surprising. The man certainly looked intimidating, but he was what was described as a teddy bear—fierce on the outside but soft and lovable on the inside.

Xemnas was glad to hear that the girl was fitting in; he didn't like it if one of his kids was unhappy, especially if it was because of something that could have been prevented. "Good."

"Here comes Dr. Shizen. I wonder what he wants—he doesn't usually come to the cafeteria during breakfast."

"Well, I suppose we'll just have to find out." Mr. Fuseiai moved off towards the Silents' table with Lexeaus close on his heels. They arrived at the table at almost the exact same moment as the doctor, and the adults bowed respectfully to each other.

"Good morning, Mr. Fuseiai, Mr. Mikio," the pink-haired man greeted his boss and coworker politely.

"Good morning, Doctor. What brings you to the cafeteria?" Xemnas asked, politely curious.

"I need to speak with Axel."

The redheaded boy looked up at the sound of his name, his green eyes apprehensive as he wondered why the adults would be speaking about him.

"Is something wrong?" the topaz-eyed man questioned, slightly concerned now.

"No, I just wanted to talk to him about some changes in his sessions, and I don't know if I'll have time later," Marluxia explained then looked at Axel. It didn't surprise him that the boy was watching them closely.

Mr. Fuseiai smiled, relieved. "I'm glad it's nothing more serious."

The doctor nodded then bowed again before turning away from his employer. "Axel, come with me, please."

Leaving his mostly-eaten breakfast, Axel stood and left the cafeteria with Doctor Marluxia. He cast one glance back at the table, meeting Zexion's eyes briefly before he and the other children were lost from view. His attention returned to the tall figure beside him, and he wondered why Marluxia had interrupted breakfast. He only did it on rare occasions, and Axel knew how important everyone thought breakfast was, so it had to be something even more important. But he didn't ask, and Marluxia offered no clues or explanations; the two were silent all the way to the doctor's office.

Axel sat without being told and watched Marluxia move to stand behind the wooden desk. Curiosity gnawed at him, yet he remained still and waited as patiently as he could for the doctor to explain what was going on.

Sighing, Marluxia opened a drawer in his desk and picked something up, though it was too small for Axel to see what it was. It looked like the doctor was having an argument with himself, which only fed Axel's curiosity about the object, and he leaned forward in his chair in an attempt to catch a glimpse of whatever it was. Strange that something so small had Marluxia apparently so upset.

"I don't know what to say." Marluxia's voice broke the silence after they'd been in his office for several minutes. His hands were still hiding the object in their grasp, so he spoke without signing. "Only that I'm worried about you, Axel."

"Why?" Had he done something wrong? No, he didn't think so. He hadn't broken any toys or fought with another kid. Maybe he'd said something that the doctor thought as cause for worry, but he didn't think he'd been acting any differently than normal. If anything, he'd been more social with the others, and that couldn't be why Marluxia was worried.

Silent, Doctor Marluxia set the object he'd been holding on his desk, directly in front of Axel. The boy's eyes widened as he recognized the shiny casing and little red switch of his lighter, and that was all Marluxia needed to confirm his suspicions.

"One of the sanitation employees found this while cleaning the play room. Do you know what this is?"

Axel gulped and nodded. There was no point in trying to deny it—he'd been caught, and not for the first time. The previous times had earned him discipline steps, but those had always been through Mister Xaldin, not Doctor Marluxia.

"I would like to know why you hid this under the toy bin, Axel." The pink-haired man's tone was calm and quiet, gently coaxing Axel to respond in a similar manner.

"I did not want you to find it." His small fingers moved slowly and he looked away from the object of their discussion, choosing instead to stare at the floor.

"Why not?"

"Mister Xaldin said I can't have them."

"Ah." Marluxia plucked up the object and placed it in Axle's hand; the boy looked at him in surprise and confusion. "Show me how it works.

Axel thought the doctor must surely know how it worked, but he did as he was told and clicked the trigger. Instantly, a tiny a flame burst to life, seeming to swallow everything else until Axel's whole world was reduced to that speck of fire. It was exactly like every other time he'd seen fire, and a cold finger of fear slid down his spine. He came to his senses a few moments later and released the trigger so that the flame vanished, and his world expanded to its regular size again.

Doctor Marluxia looked even more worried than before, and Axel quickly put the lighter on the desk. He felt bad for making the doctor worry and knew he was going to be in trouble for having the lighter, especially since he'd stolen it. Technically, he'd found it, but he knew the owner was looking for it and had knowingly passed up his chances to return the lighter, so he figured it counted as theft.

"I'm very sorry, Doctor. I won't do it again, I promise." His hands settled in his lap after he signed the words, and he waited to be told how much trouble he was in this time.

"Before you make that promise, Axel, I would like to know why you have so much interest in this lighter." Of course, Doctor Marluxia was perfectly aware of the redhead's previous lighter incidents, but this was the first time he was put in charge of addressing the boy. He hoped that he might accomplish more this way than by simply punishing him.

"It makes fire."

"Yes, and you're afraid of fire, Axel, so why take the lighters?"

"I hate being scared."

Ah, so that was it. The boy was forcing himself to face the thing he feared the most so that eventually he wouldn't be scared anymore. "And you think that having the lighters will help you to not be scared."

"Yes."

Marluxia smiled gently and placed a comforting hand on Axel's shoulder. "Axel, you don't have to force yourself like this. I had planned for you to confront fire eventually, but not until you're a little older. If you promise me that you will trust me to make the right decisions and stop hiding lighters, you won't be punished for this time. Can you promise me that, Axel?"

The boy nodded enthusiastically. "I promise, and I trust you."

"Good." Doctor Marluxia picked up the lighter and slipped it into his pocket. "I will return this to its rightful owner. In the meantime, I believe your classes are about to start. You might have to hurry if you don't want to be late."

Axel stood and wrapped his arms around the man's waist in a quick hug then left the office. The door shut quietly behind him and Marluxia sat at his desk, ponderous gaze locked on the ceiling. He'd had a feeling that Axel had been up to something lately, but working with such sensitive children made him hesitant to pry into their lives outside of sessions. Even with his suspicions, he hadn't wanted to risk upsetting Axel, but with the discovery of the lighter, he'd had no choice. At least things had worked out, and he was optimistic that the redheaded boy would keep his promise not to obtain any more lighters.

Well, that was one potential disaster he didn't have to worry about anymore.

XXX

Rain poured from the sky, soaking the grass and playground equipment. Safe and dry in the play room, Axel, Zexion, Demyx, Roxas, Sora, Kairi and Namine watched the rain falling with sorrowful expressions. They'd wanted to play outside that day, but the weather didn't permit it, so they were stuck inside. And they were all bored.

"Children," Doctor Marluxia called, and seven figures turned to look at him. "Come and sit. I have a story to tell you." As if the words were some sort of spell, smiles broke out on the kids' faces and they hurried to take their spots on the circle of cushions then waited eagerly for the pink-haired man to begin. They always loved the stories he told, and had already forgotten all about the rain.

"Once upon a time," Marluxia began, his voice hushed as his hands slowly signed the words, "there was a rich and plentiful kingdom. It had a king and a queen, everyone always had food to eat and the people were happy. They loved their king and queen, and everyone rejoiced when, one day, the queen announced that she'd had a baby. The baby was a girl, and her name was Emiko. She was loved by everyone in the kingdom. Except," he paused for suspense, "the witch, Kotone."

Seven pairs of eyes widened at the words, and Marluxia fought back a smile.

"You see, Kotone was famous throughout the kingdom for having the most beautiful singing voice in all the world. She was very proud of her voice, and the king and queen asked her to teach their beloved daughter to sing. Kotone, flattered by the request, agreed. However, as Emiko grew older and her lessons with Kotone continued, it soon became clear that Emiko's voice was even more beautiful than the witch's. Princess Emiko herself was a very beautiful young girl, while Kotone was aging and had lost most of her beauty.

"Jealousy consumed Kotone, and she cursed Emiko. The princess would never speak again but would only ever be able to sing. At first, this was not considered to be a serious crime because Emiko had such a beautiful voice, but the more she sang, the worse her voice became, until no one could bear to listen to her anymore. Thus, Kotone's real curse was revealed.

"The king and queen tried everything they could to reverse Kotone's spell. They hired wizards and other witches to undo the curse, gave Emiko herbal remedies and prayed for days on end, but nothing worked. Princess Emiko's voice was ruined forever.

"Ashamed of what her voice had become, Emiko begged her parents to let her move out of the castle and live on her own so that no one would have to listen to her sing anymore. Even though they loved their daughter and were reluctant, they eventually agreed. Princess Emiko moved out of the castle and went to live in a small cottage in the woods, where she could sing all day long without anyone hearing her. It was lonely, but the animals of the forest became her friends after they learned she would not harm them. Emiko planted many flowers around her cottage and kept it very neat and clean, and she sang all day long."

Kairi clapped to gain the doctor's attention. "Did she live there forever, Doctor?"

The pink-haired man smiled. "One day, while Emiko was tending to her garden and singing, a young man arrived at her cottage. She was very surprised because no one lived nearby and she'd never seen the man before. He bowed to her, then began twisting his hands in the air." To demonstrate, Marluxia signed, "Hello, my name is Prince Ryuu. It is very nice to meet you. What is your name?"

He paused a moment to let the children take in the fact that Prince Ryuu was using sign language.

"But Princess Emiko didn't understand what he was doing. She wanted to ask him who he was and where he was from, but she was afraid that if she sang, then he would leave, and she was very glad to have some company after living alone for many years. So she invited him inside and gave him something to eat. While they were in her kitchen, he saw a piece of paper and a pen sitting out on the table, he began to write. He wrote 'My name is Ryuu, and I am a prince. I cannot hear, but I can talk with my hands. What is your name?' Then he gave the paper to Emiko and smiled, hoping that she would understand. Princess Emiko read the note and quickly began to write. 'I am Princess Emiko, cursed by a witch to never speak again but to only sing. But my voice is awful to listen to.'

"The prince and princess filled countless sheets of paper as they wrote back and forth, and Ryuu began to teach Emiko how to speak with her hands. It was difficult, but eventually she could sign almost as well as Ryuu could.

"It was then that Prince Ryuu confessed that he had fallen in love with Princess Emiko, and he asked her to marry him."

The children smiled, clapped, and gasped in delight.

"Did she say yes?" Sora asked eagerly, blue eyes shining.

"Princess Emiko loved Prince Ryuu, but she told him that she couldn't marry him without her parents' permission," Marluxia continued, earning a few knowing looks. "So, they packed up what food and clothes they needed and traveled to the castle where Emiko's mother and father lived. The king and queen were overjoyed to see their daughter again, and marveled at her ability to speak with her hands. Because Prince Ryuu had given them their daughter back, the king and queen agreed that Ryuu and Emiko should be married. Soon after, it became a law that children were to be taught sign language when they were old enough to attend school. So Kotone's curse was defeated, Emiko and Ryuu were married, and everyone lived happily ever after."

Quiet clapping followed the end of Doctor Marluxia's story, and he smiled. He'd hoped the children would like to hear about Emiko and Ryuu, even though he'd made the story up just the night before. Sometimes he told them traditional stories and old legends, but those generally didn't involve having to use sign language, so concocting his own stories was easier. The children could relate to them better and, he hoped, they held the message that being mute or deaf doesn't have to stop them from being happy.

"Doctor?"

"Yes, Namine?" Marluxia was a little surprised but pleased that the shy girl had decided to address him.

"Are we cursed, too? Is that why we can't talk?"

Sadness at her question filled the doctor's heart and he pulled the pale child into his lap, holding her for both her comfort and his own. "No, Namine. You aren't cursed. Not at all."

"Then why can't we talk? I tried a lot, when my aunt was sad and I didn't want her to cry any more, but I couldn't."

Marluxia sighed and stroked the almost-white hair soothingly. "You saw something bad, Namine, something so bad that you were so scared, your voice shut off. I'm trying to help you turn your voice back on. I'm trying to help you not be scared anymore."

The blonde girl looked at the other Silents, examining their friendly, encouraging expressions. Even Zexion was smiling a little, his book held to his thin chest. They trusted the doctor, and so did she. She decided that he could help her turn her voice back on.

"Okay. Thank you."

"For what?"

Namine looked up at the pink-haired doctor and smiled sweetly. "Thank you for helping me turn my voice back on."

He couldn't help but smile back at her. "You're very welcome, Namine. Now, since it's still raining, what game should we play?"

The children pondered his question seriously for a few moments before Sora suggested Finger, Finger, Palm. It was a game similar to Duck, Duck, Goose, but instead of saying Duck, the child who was it would merely tap the other children on the head, and for Goose, he or she would place his or her whole hand on the other child's head before the chase began. Finger, Finger Palm was another of Doctor Marluxia's inventions, and luckily the children always seemed to enjoy it.

A few moments of consideration went by before the rest of the children agreed to the game, and, just like that, the rainy weather was forgotten completely.


	5. Chapter 5

The hustle and bustle of employees and the seeming chaos of a show always made her feel calm. While everyone else hurried to find the right outfit, to finish with hair and makeup, she had all the answers and, it seemed, all the time in the world. Here, she was in control of everything, every little detail, and that was a blessing compared to the turmoil the rest of her life had become almost a year ago.

"Miss Inazuma, this dress won't sit right," a short woman in pink said, walking up to Larxene as she tugged at the cloth of the dress a young model wore.

"That's because it's on backwards, Flora," Larxene patiently responded. She was used to Flora, Fauna and Merryweather coming to her with small issues like this, though the three sisters were quite capable of managing the clothing on their own, even if they did argue with each other more than any other person Larxene had ever met.

As Flora mumbled to herself and circled the model to see if what Larxene had said about the dress being backwards was true, the blonde woman smiled at the model. "That's a lovely color for you, Aurora."

Aurora blushed lightly and smiled, nodding. "Thank you, Miss Inazuma," she managed to say before she was led away by an embarrassed-looking Flora. Both women quickly disappeared in the direction of the dressing mirrors. Shaking her head, Larxene looked back down at her clipboard.

"Five minutes!" a voice called, and the pace of everyone save for Larxene quickened. She reveled in it, loving that, if she wanted, the entire process would come to a complete halt within seconds.

This world was in the palm of her hand, and she cherished it and loved it as if it were the only thing that kept her alive while the rest of the world died around her.

With a power walk that would show no mercy to anyone foolish enough to get in her way, Larxene crossed the crowded space that was backstage until she found her stage manager. He was a thin man with long blond hair and a disdainful way of dealing with people that Larxene found rather amusing, and he was standing on the top of a stepladder.

"Are we ready, Vexen?"

"Are those girls who call themselves models ever ready?" he replied, and though he was basically insulting the models and there was a good chance they could hear him, Larxene smiled.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"One minute!" the blond man yelled.

The music playing on the other side of the wall of curtains picked up speed and a series of models lined up to go out on the runway. Casting a critical eye over each one, Larxene walked down the line to make sure they were ready. There was nothing quite like the feeling she got in these few moments, when she stood at the front of the line just before the first model stepped into view of the countless people on the other side of the curtain. In those few moments, everything slowed to a crawl.

It was all so bright, absolutely shining. Light seemed to emanate from every surface rather than just reflect. Colors stood out brilliantly, glowing with life. The voices of her workers and the crowd and the sound of the music were all muted, swirling around her as if she was under water. But it only lasted for a few moments, then time sped back up, the volume of her world rose, and the first model was on the runway.

Applause and cheering could be heard over the music—Larxene could see dozens of camera lights flashing almost continuously as model after model strutted down the catwalk, stopping and posing at regular intervals to truly show off the designs they wore. It was almost perfect. Watching those models made her heart swell and ache a little, and her permanent smile was just a little sadder than it should have been. A gentle hand rested on her shoulder and she shifted towards it, but her gaze remained locked on the models.

Up on his stepladder where he could supervise the organized chaos of backstage, Vexen silently observed his employer. It had worried him the first time he'd worked a show for Miss Inazuma and seen that pained yet proud look in her eyes. They'd both been a bit younger then, her in her first year of professional design and he little more than an errand boy. He hadn't known what that look meant until after he'd seen it several times, and even then he didn't ask the woman herself. The explanation behind that look came to him through a few of the younger models as they sat gossiping before their mirrors—Miss Larxene had been a model herself when she was younger, until she was deemed "too old" to keep up with the business.

Now, instead of modeling, she designed the clothes models wore in fashion shows. He figured that watching the girls was both a way for Miss Inazuma to relive her first dream and to force herself to accept, little by little, that she had to move on.

Vexen, of course, was used to that look and had worked with Larxene for too many years to interrupt her while she was dreaming, as he referred to it, so he left her there by the curtain and wandered about, making sure the models were getting changed and were ready each time they ventured out onto the runway.

They were a silly lot, all those air-headed young women—girls, really—whose only concern was to make sure that they could strut and spin in the heels they were given to go with the designs they'd been assigned. It was hard to imagine Miss Inazuma as a model, carefree and giggly like those Vexen supervised. And yet, as he returned to the blonde woman's side to watch the models do what they were paid to do, he could see it. True, she was older than the models, and her face held worries the younger women would never even have nightmares about, but she was still beautiful. She moved with a confidence and grace that had to be practiced but seemed like the most natural thing in the world—even when she was standing still, she was as regal as a snow-capped mountain. Her poise was one of the things Vexen liked about her most—no matter what, she was composed, calm, and in control. Nothing could shake her.

"Looks like you've got another successful line on your hands, Miss Inazuma," he commented, watching the photographers scramble all over each other to get the perfect shot. "What are you calling this one?"

Silent, Larxene surveyed the designs the models wore, considering the simple and sweet but still elegant style. It was inspired by her sister, all of it, and she could so easily imagine her still alive and well, smiling in that shy way she had. Relena had always been a lot quieter than Larxene.

She'd always been smiling, too. Or at least, it had seemed that way to Larxene, and she missed that smile more than she would ever be able to say. All she really had to do, though, to see her sister's smile again was look in a mirror. But that was the reason she never used full-size mirrors anymore and instead carried around a small pocket mirror. That was why she found herself wishing that she and Relena hadn't been twins. It was unpleasant to be faced with the image of her murdered sister wherever she went, and during those first few weeks Larxene had resented being a twin for the first time in her life.

But even covering up the mirrors in the condo hadn't been enough to prevent seeing her sister's face, because Relena's daughter lived just down the hall, and no matter how hard Larxene tried to ignore the child, she couldn't escape that face. Namine hadn't so much as smiled since she'd moved into Larxene's condo after the murders, but Larxene could still see the resemblance to her sister, and to herself. She almost hated Namine for looking so much like Relena, but she couldn't. She couldn't hate all that was left of her sister's life. That, however, didn't mean she had to look into Namine's eyes and see her sister looking back, or speak to the child and hope she would smile and be happy again just so Larxene could hear Relena's laugh one more time. No, it was easier to ignore Namine and all of the things that she reminded Larxene of. It was less painful that way.

If only ignoring the girl was all Larxene had to do to forget how empty she felt, how _broken,_ as if half of her soul was missing, like her heart had been stolen right out of her chest. She tried to forget—she worked herself to death just to keep her mind too busy to think about Relena, and yet she'd designed an entire line of clothing dedicated to her deceased twin.

"I think I'll call it…_Remembrance_."

XXX

"Good night, Sora." He placed kiss on the boy's forehead and was rewarded by a smile and happy blue eyes.

"Good night, Roxas." The blond held still for his good-night kiss then turned, snuggling into his pillow, a teddy bear held securely to his chest.

"Good night, Axel." Sleepy green eyes blinked up at him after he kissed the red-haired boy's forehead, and he stroked the soft spikes of Axel's hair fondly as the boy fell asleep.

"Good night, Zexion." This time the words were whispered, and he very carefully pulled the still-open book from the sleeping boy's hands, set it on the table next to his bed without losing the page, and kissed his forehead.

"Good night, Demyx." Giggling, the blond pulled his blanket up over his face before he could receive his good-night kiss, and the man smiled. He tickled the boy until Demyx couldn't keep the blanket in place anymore and then quickly dropped a kiss on his forehead. Still smiling, the blond settled comfortably and closed his eyes.

"Good night, Kairi." Her eyes fell closed as he kissed her forehead, then she smiled up at him in a motherly sort of way and kissed his cheek, her short arms wrapping around his neck in a hug. They stayed that way for a moment, girl and man, child and adult, patient and doctor, then he pulled away and tucked her into bed.

"Good night, Namine." The blonde, safely snuggled in next to Kairi, looked up at him with a curious light in her pale eyes. He didn't kiss her forehead—they weren't that familiar with each other yet—but he did straighten the blankets over her and smoothed back her hair in a fatherly fashion, and that seemed to be enough for her.

Sighing quietly, Doctor Marluxia made his way towards where Lexeaus and Xigbar stood waiting. He looked back at the occupied beds and smiled tiredly before leaving, and went down the dim, empty hall towards his office. There he gathered his papers into his briefcase and put on his coat, then left through the front doors of the Home and got into his car. It was already dark out and he was tired, but he started the car and pulled onto the road, joining the trickle of other commuters who were on their way home.

Twenty minutes of driving later, he pulled up outside his mostly dark house, shut the car off, and trudged up the few steps of the porch to the front door. He didn't bother selecting his house key from the ring he still held—the door wasn't locked, and he wasted no time in going into the house. It was small but neat and cozy, the kind of house one would expect to find a happy family in. The kitchen light was on when he walked in, but there was no one there, so he set his briefcase and keys on the counter, shrugged out of his coat and hung it up, then opened the fridge. He smiled to see a roast-beef-and-Colby-Jack sandwich and apple slices on a plate along with a small bit of paper that read, "For the Doctor of the House."

_How does he always know exactly what to make?_ he wondered fondly as he took the food out of the fridge and sat at the table to eat. It was his favorite type of sandwich with just a little bit of mayo, and the apple was still fresh; he ate quickly then leaned back in his chair, licking his lips, and patted his flat but satisfied stomach.

"I take it you enjoyed your dinner," a slightly sarcastic voice said, and Marluxia looked towards the doorway to the living room. He smiled.

"Yes, thank you." Standing, he went to the man who had spoken and wrapped his arms around the slim waist, nuzzling his chest. Warm, strong arms pulled him closer and a kiss was placed on the top of his head.

"You look exhausted." The sarcasm Marluxia was so used to hearing was missing from the words, allowing genuine concern to take its place.

"It's been a long day."

"Did something happen?"

"Nothing major, but you remember what I said about Namine's aunt being neglectful?"

"Of course."

"One of her colleagues called the Home to let us know that she wouldn't be off work until late tonight and that Namine would be staying overnight." His tone made it clear that he was upset by this, and he rested his forehead against Luxord's collarbone as his eyes closed. "Not only did she not think ahead enough to arrange to have Namine picked up, but she couldn't even bother to call and tell us herself? She didn't think that perhaps Namine would want to talk with her, or that she should say goodnight to her niece?"

Soft hands cupped his cheeks, tilting his face up to look into icy blue eyes.

"You think too much, Marluxia." The taller man smiled before kissing him gently. Too tired to really participate, Marluxia returned the kiss for only a moment before resting his cheek on the other man's shoulder. A hand rubbed his back, easing the ache that had been forming between his shoulder blades.

"Luxord…"

"Yes?"

"Love you," the doctor mumbled, using Luxord's shoulder to hide the shy blush that crept onto his cheeks as he said those two simple words that meant so much.

A small smile softened Luxord's features and he began to lead the pink-haired man towards the stairs. "Come on, bed time for the doctor."

"Say it back," Marluxia insisted stubbornly, resisting a little but not enough to keep himself from being all but carried up the stairs to their bedroom.

His dark-blue-almost-violet eyes found Luxord's seemingly cold blue gaze and held it, refusing to look away even as his clothes were removed by the blond man's skilled hands. Normally, being stripped by his lover would have been exciting and he'd have enjoyed it a lot more than he was, but not now. Right now, he was tired and wanted to sleep, but first he wanted to hear Luxord say it.

Patient, Luxord retrieved the smaller man's white pajamas from the dresser they shared and dressed him in them, closing the buttons one by one to conceal the pale skin beneath. Then he changed into his own dark blue pajamas while Marluxia stood there watching him; both men were completely silent the entire time. Once he finished changing, the blond steered his lover into the bathroom and they brushed their teeth.

Marluxia had at last dropped his gaze and was now avoiding looking at Luxord all together as they stood side-by-side in front of the bathroom sink, much to the blond's amusement. It was easy to tell from his body language that he was feeling insecure because his admittance of love hadn't been returned, but Luxord didn't reassure him just yet. Instead, he led the doctor back to the bedroom and flicked off the light as Marluxia got into bed. Luxord followed after a moment, slipping under the covers and moving to lie close to the other man. It didn't surprise him to find that Marluxia was lying with his back was to the blond so that he wouldn't have to see him.

Smiling gently, the tall man slipped his hand under the doctor's shirt and wrapped his arm around the narrow waist he found there, pulling Marluxia's body back to fit snugly against his own. The pink-haired man tensed slightly, and Luxord nuzzled the back of his neck.

"I love you, you silly man," he whispered just loud enough for Marluxia to hear, and almost instantly the doctor relaxed. The warmth of Luxord's arm on his side and stomach and the heat of his breath on the back of his neck just about melted him, and he wouldn't have been able to stay upset at the blond even if he'd wanted to.

"I hate when you do that."

Luxord chuckled. "Do what?" he asked in a falsely innocent tone.

Without pulling away, Marluxia turned so that he was facing the other man and frowned at him, their noses almost touching. "When you act like you don't know what I want until I give up trying to get it, then give me it when I least expect it."

"You know, I'm always surprised you fall for my act," the blond teased, "you being a psychologist and all. I'd have thought you'd be the one playing mind games with me, not the other way around."

The playful insult made Marluxia roll his eyes. "As if I'd ever manage to outsmart a ruthless lawyer like you."

A grin spread across Luxord's face and he kissed the smaller man, holding him close. It only lasted for a few moments before they broke apart, and Marluxia snuggled against the other man with a happy smile firmly in place. Luxord tucked Marluxia's head under his chin and wrapped both arms around him as he felt the pink-haired man's arms lock around his waist.

"Good night, love," he whispered. "Sweet dreams."

"Mm," Marluxia hummed, warm and content in his lover's embrace. It took only a few minutes for him to fall asleep, and Luxord was not far behind.

Author's Note:

I chose "Relena" as the name for Namine's mother/Larxene's twin because it is one of the fanfavorites as a possible name for Larxene's Somebody. No, I did not make up a random name from my own imagination.

Also: Surprise! Marluxia's got a life partner! Who saw it coming? Nobody? (Oh puns. You have my apologies.) I'm sorry if any of you disapprove of my decision in having Marluxia and Luxord be a couple, but it's an important part of the story, so try to be understanding. It will make sense soon, I promise, so just bear with me.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

_Green grass tickled the bottoms of his bare feet as he ran, dodging couples and families, a red Frisbee held to his chest. A little girl with long golden hair and blue eyes smiled at him as he ran by. Beside him, a little brown and white dog barked happily and jumped in excitement. Sora stopped and threw the Frisbee with all his might, which wasn't actually that far, and laughed as the dog chased after it as fast as he could. With a wild leap, the dog caught the Frisbee in his mouth and trotted back to where Sora waited, tail wagging proudly._

"_Good boy," the child giggled, petting the dog's soft fur. "Good boy, Frankie."_

_Dropping the Frisbee, the animal put his paws on Sora's short legs and reached up to lick his master's face, wet pink tongue making Sora shriek with laughter. He was a mutt they'd adopted fairly recently, but Sora already loved him just as much as he loved his mommy and daddy. Quickly, he picked up the Frisbee from where it had been dropped and threw it again, watching as Frankie dashed after it enthusiastically._

"_Sora!" someone called as he watched the dog, and the voice hurt his ears. It was high-pitched and screeched like the strange birds at the zoo but worse. Frankie dropped the Frisbee again and whined, tail down and ears back—he didn't like the sound any more than Sora did and backed away from the source._

_Sora knew it was his mommy calling his name, and when he turned he could see her kneeling on a blue-and-brown blanket spread over the grass, a picnic basket beside her and food set out. His daddy was there, too, smiling at his mommy as she waved for Sora to join them. Their faces were blurry, just out of focus, but he could tell that they were both smiling and happy. "Come eat!"_

_He shook his head, picking up the Frisbee. The sound of her voice hurt his ears, but he smiled and pretended it didn't—he didn't want to hurt her feelings or make her sad. Turning again, he looked for his dog to throw the Frisbee to, but the playful mutt had disappeared._

_Frowning now, the brunet child turned in a circle to find that the other families that had been at the park were also gone, including the girl who'd smiled at him. Even his parents were missing, but the picnic blanket and food remained. That was all._

_Biting his lip nervously and looking around, Sora went to where his family had been only moments before and sat on the blanket, looking at the food his mommy had gotten out for him. It was his favorite—blue Jell-O, a hot dog with ketchup and mustard and the puffy Cheeto's that were so much better than the crunchy ones, and a little plastic cup of apple juice. He knew there were a few ice cream bars in the basket that were for dessert. Even though he was hungry, Sora didn't want to eat all by himself, so he sat and looked around the park and waited, knowing that eventually his mommy and daddy would come back and they could eat and play with the dog all afternoon until the sun went down, just like always._

_So slightly that Sora could barely feel it, the whole world began to shake. It was just a little at first but soon the tremors were so violent that he couldn't even sit upright anymore; the sun flickered like it was burning out. Sora could hear people screaming but there was no one there—someone was grabbing his hand, but when he looked, he was still alone. More sounds started to cover up the screams, screeches even worse than his mommy's voice along with booming and rattling. It got so loud that he covered his ears and cried for his mommy to make it stop, squeezing his eyes shut, but it didn't work. It felt like his entire world was crumbling to pieces and there was no one there to help him._

Suddenly, he felt hands on his side, shaking him gently. Another pair of hands touched his face, gentle, coaxing him to open his eyes as someone else pulled his blankets away from where they'd been wrapped around his body.

Three worried faces looked down at him as the brunet boy lay panting in his bed, and he quickly reached for the nearest one. Roxas allowed himself to be pulled down onto the bed and hugged his best friend tightly as Sora nuzzled into his neck. He was glad the other boy was okay—it scared him to see Sora so upset, even in his sleep—and he had no intentions of returning to his own bed that night. Kairi and Namine stood by the bed, still looking worried though not nearly as much as they had.

"Is he all right?" Namine asked after gaining the redhead's attention; she'd never seen anyone do what Sora had done.

Nodding, Kairi sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed Sora's back with one hand until the boy relaxed and his breathing slowed to a normal pace. She touched his shoulder so that he loosened his grip on Roxas and turned to look at her.

"What did you dream?"

Reluctant to let go of the blond, Sora slowly sat up and pulled his blanket back up over his lap. The other children were still for the few moments they waited, then Sora lifted his hands.

"It was the dream I told about in the session, but it ended differently."

"What happened?"

"There was an earthquake I think, and this sound. It was the loudest thing I ever heard. People were screaming, too, but there was no one there, and the sun was like a light bulb going on and off. That never happened before, ever." And it hadn't, not any of the times Sora had dreamed about the park, and the brunet had no idea what to make of it.

"I was so scared," Sora finished as Roxas, Kairi and Namine sat around him. "I didn't know what to do."

"It will be all right," Kairi assured him. "We will tell Doctor tomorrow, and he will make it better." A motherly sort of smile graced her lips and she pulled the brunet into a hug. Only moments later, Namine and Roxas joined in, and the four children relaxed in the warmth of each other. It was unbelievably calming just to be close to one another, and they had no intentions of letting go any time soon.

A small noise from the other side of the room caught their attention and they all looked up to see Axel sitting up in bed staring at them with sleep-filled green eyes. No one moved, but it only took the red-haired boy a few moments to realize what had happened and why there were suddenly three extra bodies in Sora's bed. Once he connected the dots, he climbed out of bed and went to join them, carrying his pillow; Axel was not one to be left out when a spontaneous "slumber party" was taking place. So he crawled onto the now-crowded bed and lay down, arranging himself at the head of the bed. Only a moment later, another body joined them as Demyx decided he didn't want to sleep on his own, and then Zexion realized he was the only one not snuggled on Sora's bed. The quiet boy was hesitant, but eventually got up and climbed onto the bed. Soon, all seven children were settled comfortably, using each other for pillows.

Sora lay curled up in the middle of the bed with Roxas' arms around him and his head tucked under the blond's chin. At his back lay Kairi, one of her hands holding onto his comfortingly. Namine was using Kairi's side for a pillow while Axel was nuzzled into Roxas' shoulder with his feet at the head of the bed. Demyx's knees were pressed against Axel's as he lay with his head by Sora's. Zexion had draped himself over Axel's legs and had his head on Demxy's side, therefore making him the top of the pile.

Despite not using the blankets, all of the children were warm and comfortable, and the sounds of seven pairs of lungs slowed one by one until they had each fallen asleep.

With barely any sound, the door opened and a man peeked into the room. His long, gray-streaked black hair was pulled back from his face in a low ponytail and an eye patch covered the place where his right eye should have been; a jagged scar ran up his left cheek. On his usual rounds of the Home's sleeping quarters to make sure all the children were asleep and accounted for, Xigbar waited for his remaining eye to adjust to the darkness. At first, he only noticed the six empty beds. Immediately, the radio hooked to his belt was in his hand and on its way to his mouth as he prepared to radio the office that there were children missing, but then he realized where they'd gone. The pile of slightly-moving bodies on Sora's bed made it clear that the children weren't missing at all, and the tall man relaxed; the radio was returned to its place on his belt.

_Little rascals,_ he thought fondly, leaning on the door frame. It wasn't the first time he'd found them like this, but it surprised him every time. The children Doctor Marluxia worked with were shy and didn't tend to display as much emotion as the other children at the Home, so seeing them so obviously dependent on each other for safety and comfort was a pleasant surprise. That, and Xigbar liked them because they rarely caused any trouble, unlike the other children, who enjoyed late night pillow fights and stayed up talking when they were meant to be asleep. But these seven were incredibly well behaved, and Xigbar felt a little silly for having worried.

Closing the door just as quietly as he'd opened it, the night guard of Fuseiai's Home for Trouble Youths passed through the mostly dark halls until he'd reached the security office. A fresh pot of coffee sat waiting in case he needed it, and the wall of monitors showed him the many empty hallways of the Home. Everything was locked and secure—he'd made sure of that—so other than the walk-around he did every hour, he had nothing to do but sit at the desk and watch the monitor for any signs of trouble.

The chair squeaked as he sat and turned to put his feet up on the desk, his fingers laced behind his head in a lounging posture. Black-and-white images stared down at him and the radio on the corner of the desk played quiet music that he didn't recognize, but the song didn't matter. It was just there for background noise so that the silence wouldn't get to him. Several minutes and a couple songs passed before his watch beeped to signal that it was now one in the morning, and he sighed. He really needed to bring something else to do while he sat there, but he hated the idea that something would happen on the monitors while he wasn't looking if he had a book or some other distraction. It would be just like in the horror films when the security guard looks away to get coffee and the killer crosses the screen while no one is watching.

Xigbar's eye darted from screen to screen, determined that nothing like that would happen on his shift. Part of him almost expected to see something move, to see a masked killer sneaking down the hall. The rest of him decided he needed to watch fewer horror movies during his free time. They certainly weren't doing his nerves any good, and he'd drive himself crazy with imagined murderers in no time if he didn't get a grip.

"Knock it off, Xig," he told himself, rocking slightly in the wheeled desk chair. "This is an orphanage, not a haunted house. There's no reason to let some stupid movie get to you."

For some reason, his logic didn't do much to make him feel better.


	7. Chapter 7

The alarm went off at 6:00am, sharp. Sighing deeply as he woke, Marluxia reached over and shut it off, then gently removed the arm around his waist and padded through the house down to the kitchen, his bare feet all but silent. Turning on the light and squinting because his eyes hadn't yet adjusted, he measured out some coffee grounds and water and put them both into the coffee maker before pressing the little button that brought the machine to life. As the coffee maker did its work, he went back upstairs and into the bathroom to begin getting ready for the day.

His pink hair was a mess, but he managed to tame it after a few minutes of careful brushing, then he clipped it back so he could brush his teeth and wash his face without it getting in his way. When he was finished with that, he let his hair fall back into place then left the bathroom, going back to the bed where his partner still lay sleeping. As carefully as he could, he climbed onto the bed and gently touched the face of the slumbering man.

"Luxord…wake up…time to get ready and go to work…"

"No…"

"Come on. Wakey, wakey." Smiling, Marluxia crawled to the foot of the bed and slowly pulled the blankets away, revealing Luxord's pajama-clad body inch by inch. The tall man shivered, curling up to protect himself from the cold air he'd been exposed to.

"You're evil, Marly," he grumbled accusingly, glaring at the smirking man sitting on the end of the bed.

"You love me anyway."

"Yeah, yeah." Sitting up, Luxord pulled Marluxia close and kissed him softly in the dim light coming from the cracked bathroom door. "Morning," he whispered into the kiss, and felt Marluxia smile.

"Morning. Coffee's mixing and I'm done in the bathroom. Now get moving."

Luxord rolled his eyes and fell back on the bed as Marluxia got up and went to the closet to get dressed. "Why are you always so awake this early? It's unnatural."

"Not all of us stay up until three in the morning drinking and playing card games with our old college buddies," Marluxia replied, turning to face his lover as he unbuttoned his pajama shirt.

"You know I haven't done that in months." Icy blue eyes tracked every movement of Marluxia's elegantly slim fingers, watching as each button was undone to reveal the thin, pale torso underneath the fabric. The pink-haired man could practically feel those eyes burning into him, devouring him, and he turned away as a slight blush heated his cheeks.

"And I've never done that, so I'm more used to getting up early than you are. Now get your butt out of bed and get dressed or you'll be late."

Luxord sighed then smirked, silently getting up and sneaking up behind the other man. He slipped his arms around Marluxia's waist, his hands lightly stroking the soft skin beneath the pajama shirt.

"Marly…" the blond purred, nuzzling his face into the spot between the shorter man's shoulder blades so that he gasped and arched.

"L-Luxord…!"

"Yes?" Talented hands pulling the pajama shirt in such a way that it trapped Marluxia's arms behind his back and revealed that special spot, Luxord ignored his lover's protests and licked up his spine, earning a keening whimper laced with need.

"Stop…we don't have time for this…"

"Yes we do. You don't have to be at work for almost two hours, and I can arrive at my office whenever I want. That's the point of being the boss. There's no one to yell at me if I'm late." He kissed the sensitive space, letting his breath caress the skin so that Marluxia shivered.

"Hng…please…"

"Please?" A smirk curved Luxord's lips and he pulled the smaller man closer, pressing their bodies together.

"Luxord, please stop. I mean it."

"Really?" the blond persisted, releasing the shirt and toying with the waistband of Marluxia's pajama pants. "You didn't sound like you wanted me to stop a moment ago."

Firmly but gently, Marluxia gripped Luxord's wrists and pulled the inquisitive hands away from himself, turning to face the taller man. "Yes, really. I have to finish getting ready for work, and I'd rather not be exhausted due to sex while working with children, especially children as sensitive as the ones I'm in charge of. Besides, then I'd have to shower, and after all that, I'd be late."

Luxord pouted but didn't argue. "Fine. I'll seduce you tonight, instead."

"And I'll happily let you." Smiling now, Marluxia placed a soft kiss on Luxord's cheek and went back to changing as a still-pouting Luxord ventured into the bathroom to start getting ready.

Breakfast was a quiet affair after Luxord and Marluxia had dressed, both men occupied with drinking their coffee as they sat at the small table in their kitchen, eating the whole grain cereal with soy milk that Marluxia always bought—he refused to buy "that sugary garbage," and regular milk was reserved for cooking. Hence, the healthy cereal they had for breakfast almost every day. Luxord was reading the newspaper as he ate, scanning the columns for any interesting articles that might be worth taking the time to read thoroughly rather than just skim over.

"Anything good today?" Marluxia asked between bites of cereal.

"No. Just some load of bull about a teacher getting fired for inappropriate behavior towards students."

His interest caught, Marluxia put down his spoon and leaned his elbows on the table. "What happened?"

Clearly not as fascinated by the story as Marluxia was, Luxord rolled his eyes but nevertheless read through the article more carefully. "It's a big scandal. One of her students had nude photos of her and hung up copies of them all over the school. She's claiming she never gave the pictures to any of her students and she doesn't know how he got a hold of them."

"Nude pictures?"

"It says "pornographic photos.'"

"That's terrible. She'll have to move halfway across the country just to get a job somewhere else."

"If she's lying and she's the one who gave the pictures to the kid, then she'll probably have her teaching license revoked."

Marluxia shook his head, sighing. "I don't understand how someone can dedicate years of his or her life to something, like teaching, and risk it all by taking nude photos and leaving them where a student might find them."

"What, you've never taken a nude photo and left it out by accident?" Luxord asked somewhat playfully.

"No," the pink-haired man replied flatly. "I've never taken a nude picture at all, and I don't think I ever will."

"What if I asked you to?"

"I'd slap you for being perverted and make you sleep on the couch for a week."

"What if I was on the other side of the country for work for weeks and weeks, and I missed you so much that I asked you to send me one through text?" Luxord wheedled, smiling slightly.

Marluxia went back to eating his cereal. "Then I would still say no."

"Aw, you're no fun, Marly."

"Then I guess you'd better never be gone for weeks and weeks. Who knows what sort of trouble you'd get into if you spent that much time away from home? Besides, I'd have to go with you just to make sure you got up on time," the doctor teased, sipping his coffee.

Luxord smirked. "Well in that case, I don't need a picture. I'd have the real thing, and you'd have nothing better to do but lounge around in the hotel room waiting for me to come back every night."

"Oh, please. If I traveled to the other side of the country with you, I'd have my own plans for while you were working, and don't think that having the real thing means you can do whatever you want, because the real thing can refuse a lot more easily than a picture can," Marluxia informed his over-confident lover as he stood, placing his now-empty bowl in the sink to be rinsed and loaded once he finished his coffee. When he turned back around to lean against the counter and sip his coffee, he found Luxord making puppy eyes at him.

"You would travel all that way with me just to deny me?"

Those stupid puppy eyes. Despite Luxord's angular features and facial hair, his ice blue eyes and sarcastic nature, he could pull off the puppy eyed look better than even some of the children Marluxia worked with. And it was completely unfair, because he himself couldn't manage to make that face even if it would save his life. Luxord looked like he might burst into tears at any second. Marluxia's puppy eyes looked like he was a murderous psychopath. It was ironic, really. Who'd have thought a man like Luxord could look so innocent?

Sighing, the pink-haired man finished his coffee then looked at Luxord affectionately. "No, I wouldn't do that. But I certainly wouldn't make it easy for you."

Luxord grinned and stood, moving to be mere inches away from pinning the other man against the counter. "Well, I would hope not. You know how I love a challenge."

"Yes, I know." He closed his eyes as Luxord leaned in for a kiss, thinking that perhaps going on a trip together wasn't such a bad idea.

XXX

The condo was silent, completely and utterly silent. But that was normal these days. There was a time when music would have been playing, any type of music. Or people were there, talking and laughing, relaxing together. That was how it used to be. Now, it would have been strange if there was sound.

Dressed in loose blue sweatpants with the legs rolled up to stop just below her knees and an oversized gray hoody, Larxene lounged on the couch in the living room of her condo, watching the muted TV without really paying attention to what was on. Some show about little girls in beauty pageants was playing, and even though the sound was off, Larxene thought it was one of the most ridiculous things she'd ever seen and couldn't imagine what it must be like to be one of those girls. If her mother had tried to put Larxene and Relena in beauty pageants like these, she'd have had another thing coming to her.

"These little girls are going to hate their mothers when they get older," the blonde woman commented to the otherwise empty room. "They'll look at pictures of how they were dressed and demand that all evidence of the pageants be destroyed."

_I'm sure some of them do actually want to be there and will always love being in pageants._

Larxene laughed and picked up a glass of champagne from the end table, sipping it as if she was in an evening gown rather than old sweats.

"You've got to be kidding me. That one looks like a Las Vegas stripper. Who on earth dresses their daughter like that?"

_Maybe it's supposed to be humorous and cute._

"There is nothing cute about a four-year-old wearing her body weight in makeup and dancing like a prostitute."

_Don't be so harsh, Xe. What's the matter with you? You used to just laugh at these shows and change the channel. Since when have you been so judgmental of everyone else?_

_Since you died,_ Larxene thought, too afraid to say it out loud. It was bad enough she was talking to herself, but it was worse that she could hear Relena's voice talking back.

She quickly swallowed the rest of her champagne then refilled her glass.

This was ridiculous. Why was she sitting there having a conversation with her dead twin? Because ever since the murder, all Larxene had to do was sit in a quiet room for a while and eventually the voice would start having a conversation. If that didn't scream lunatic, nothing did, and Larxene knew it. But she didn't want to go see anyone about it. There was no reason to. She was fine. It was just because she was lonely and—today—had been drinking that her memories of Relena seemed more realistic than they really were. That was all. There was no voice. It was just her memories.

Real or not, the Relena she could hear in her head had a point. She hadn't been this judgmental of others before, and having it pointed out to her was unpleasant. Even though she'd never been quite as cheerful or carefree as her twin, she'd certainly never sat around watching a random show and judging everyone on it as if she was the Creator of All and she alone had to right to decide what was right and wrong. So she picked up the remote from where it rested beside her on the couch and began flipping through the channels, looking for something more interesting to watch than toddler beauty pageants.

Maybe then the voice would go away.


	8. Chapter 8

Marluxia had just set his bag on his desk when a knock came at his door, which was surprising because he'd arrived nearly thirty minutes early. He supposed, however, that since he usually came in that early, his colleagues and coworkers would know about it by now.

"Come in," he called just loud enough for whomever it was to hear, and the door opened to reveal none other than Mr. Fuseiai, and Marluxia immediately straightened before bowing slightly out of respect.

"Good morning, Mr. Fuseiai. What can I do for you?"

The white-haired man smiled slightly as his employee straightened once more. "Good morning, Doctor. I came to let you know that a new child will be joining you in your sessions starting after lunch today."

A new child?

"Really?" Marluxia asked, his curiosity flaring to life.

It had been barely a month since Namine had started joining them for sessions, and Demyx had only arrived seven months before that. It was unusual that a new Silent would join them so often. Even Namine's arrival had seemed unusually soon after Demyx.

"Yes." Mr. Fuseiai held out a manila folder that no doubt contained all the information they had on the new child. "Use the morning session with the children to let them know he's coming so that they'll be prepared to meet him after they have their lunch."

Marluxia accepted the folder. "Of course, sir."

"I'll stop by to see how he's doing during the afternoon. Good day, Doctor Shizen." With that, the yellow-eyed man was gone, leaving the doctor alone in his office with the file of the mystery child.

Forgetting the other paperwork he had to look over that morning, Marluxia returned to his desk, sat, and leaned back in his chair comfortably with the manila folder in hand. He opened it to reveal several sheets of paper, the first of which held basic information and a description of the child, along with a photograph.

_Name: Riku Fudoushin_

_Age: 9 years old_

_Eyes: Teal_

_Hair: Silver_

_Height: 49 inches_

_Weight: 61.6 lbs_

_Parents: Deceased_

_Cause of Death: Killed when home collapsed due to earthquake. Son Riku, age 7 years at time of incident, survived with minor injuries._

Marluxia registered that the child, Riku, was a healthy height and weight for his age and appeared to be well taken care of in his photo, though his expression was decidedly unhappy. Skipping to the next page, he learned that he'd been taken by the state and put up for adoption, having no family to go to. For the last two years, Riku had been passed from foster home to foster home. The file contained reports filled out by the families that had taken him in, and each said approximately the same thing.

_Riku is moody and unsociable. He doesn't interact with the other children without encouragement and gets into fights. No matter what we do, he refuses to speak and rarely makes eye contact._

_This boy threw a temper tantrum and broke several dishes by throwing them at our other foster children. Two of them had to be taken to the hospital for stitches as a result._

_He attacked another child and had to be restrained by two adult men. Refuses to obey the rules of our home and doesn't appear to listen to anything we say. Attempts to communicate with him are ignored or met with angry responses that are nearly impossible to understand._

Each report was worse than the one before it. Riku, it seemed, was extremely aggressive, had a short temper and didn't hesitate to take his anger out on those around him. That was certainly a cause for worry—the Home's Silents were peaceful, friendly and occasionally shy. A child like Riku could easily turn the play room to chaos and disrupt their sessions, maybe even cause him to lose the precious progress he'd made with the other children.

Why would Mr. Fuseiai allow a child like Riku to come into the Home where there were dozens of other children for him to pick fights with and potentially harm? Of course, Marluxia knew that he, Xaldin, Lexeaus and Xigbar were fully capable of restraining a nine-year-old boy, but he really hoped it didn't come to that. With any luck, he'd be able to make Riku feel welcome and manage to calm the boy down before he got upset enough to start fights or break things. If worst came to worst, there was always the Safe Room. Marluxia really, _really _hoped it never came to that. The Safe Room was a last resort for dealing with violent children, and he hadn't had to use it yet. Hopefully, he never would. He didn't even like to think about it.

Worried now, the doctor glanced over the rest of what was in the file until he got to the last page, the report of what exactly had happened to Riku's parents.

"Oh, no…"

It was difficult to fight the tears gathering at the corners of his eyes as he read. According to this, Riku had only survived the earthquake that destroyed his home because his parents shielded him with their bodies and were killed in the process. It took them three days to find him under the rubble, and he'd refused to be separated from the bodies of his parents when they tried to put him in the ambulance. Even after they'd been put in body bags, Riku had clung to them and had to be sedated just to be taken to a hospital and treated for his injuries along with dehydration and malnourishment. At their funeral, he'd sat completely silent throughout the ceremony and didn't respond to anyone who tried to console him.

"And he hasn't spoken since," Marluxia sighed, setting down the file and looking at it as if it might come to life and tell him the story all over again.

No wonder Riku was so troublesome. Even though the other Silents and many of the other children at the Home had lost their parents in traumatic ways—really, when was it not traumatic for a child to lose his or her parents?—it seemed that Riku's experience had been one of the worst. Determination made Marluxia straighten in his chair. He was going to help this child whether Riku wanted him to or not, and he wasn't about to let the boy's past interfere with his future.

XXX

The play room was uncharacteristically quiet, even considering that the only voice ever heard there was Doctor Marluxia's. Usually, the sounds of toys being played with or the doctor's music would be in the background, replacing the voices and laughter one would usually expect to find in a play room. Not today. Today, the music was off, and the children had forsaken their toys in favor of the ring of cushions and now sat there, waiting.

As he'd been instructed by Mr. Fuseiai, Doctor Marluxia had used his morning session with the children to let them know a new child would be coming to join them after lunch. They'd bombarded him with questions, but all he'd told them was that it was a boy and he was nine years old, and that they shouldn't crowd him when he arrived because he was shy and might get upset. He didn't like lying to them, thought it wasn't exactly a lie. He just hadn't told them that Riku might become angry with little to no provocation and that they needed to be careful. But the Silents were already quiet and cautious so he was fairly optimistic about how the introductions would go. The homes Riku had been placed in previously hadn't had any other mutes in them and the other residents had only rudimentary sign language skills. Hopefully, being with other mute children, Riku would feel more comfortable and wouldn't be as aggressive as the reports made him out to be.

Finally, there came a knock at the door to signal that Lexeaus had arrived with Riku, and Marluxia calmly went to open.

"Remember what I said," he signed to the children, his hand on the doorknob, and they nodded. The doctor smiled then opened the door. "Hello, Lexeaus." He looked down at the boy standing just behind the Ward Father and smiled. "Hello, there."

"Dr. Shizen, this is Riku," Lexeaus introduced the boy, stepping to the side so that Marluxia could kneel and extend his hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Riku. My name is Doctor Marluxia Shizen."

Riku regarded him with wary green-blue eyes, his hands shoved into his pockets in a clear display that he had no intentions of shaking the doctor's hand. Undeterred, Marluxia waited until the boy rolled his eyes and yanked a hand out of his pocket only to thrust it into the doctor's and shake his hand with a glare.

Still smiling, Marluxia released Riku's hand and straightened. "Thank you for bringing him, Lexeaus. Feel free to stop by and visit whenever you have time."

"Will do, Doctor. Take care, Riku." With a nod, Lexeaus cast a discreet glance at the surly boy before leaving, and Marluxia shut the door after Riku had slowly moved forward into the play room.

With his hand hovering by Riku's shoulder but not touching him, the pink-haired doctor guided him farther into the play room to where the other children sat waiting. They smiled at Riku, a little uncertainly, but smiled nonetheless. To everyone's surprise, it wasn't Kairi that was the first to move to greet the new boy.

Abandoning his usual place at Roxas' side, Sora stood and approached the silver-haired boy. His customary smile was missing, and he blatantly ignored the looks the other children were giving him to tell him to sit down. Blue eyes met teal, but Sora didn't appear intimidated by the threatening glare on Riku's face. Everything about the new boy's posture and expression said _get away _as Sora stood before him, a little shorter than Riku and calmer than Marluxia had seen him in over a year.

The brunet lifted his hands. "My name is S-O-R-A."

Curiosity and surprise began to mix in with the slow-burning anger in Riku's eyes as if he hadn't realized these new strangers would know sign language.

"You can't talk?" he asked, signing slowly as if he wasn't sure Sora would understand.

"No. None of us can." Sora gestured at the other children and smiled slightly. "We are like you."

Riku shook his head. "No one is like me. They don't understand." He indicated Marluxia, meaning that the adults he'd dealt with since losing his parents didn't know what he needed.

"Doctor understands. He knows. He is helping us turn our voices back on," Sora explained, then smiled a little wider. "Will you be my friend?"

"I don't have any friends. The other kids don't like me."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't talk. They picked on me and made me mad. Then I got in trouble and no one wanted me." The admittance looked like it hurt Riku, and he dropped his gaze to the floor until Sora reached out and touched his arm to regain his attention.

"I can't talk either. Can I be your friend?"

Teal eyes darted around the room, looking at each silent, friendly face then up at Marluxia's encouraging smile.

"No one will pick on you here, Riku," the doctor signed without speaking. "I promise."

Riku hesitated, and Marluxia could almost see the thoughts running through the boy's head.

Was he lying? Were these other children really like him? Would they be nice to him when the other children had been mean, or were they tricking him?

Slowly, the silver-haired boy nodded and hesitantly held his hand out to Sora. His usual smile making its appearance and putting a happy gleam in the brunet's astoundingly blue eyes, Sora took the offered hand and led Riku over to where he'd left Roxas. The blond looked up at Sora with a pouty expression, his arms crossed.

"This is R-O-X-A-S," Sora introduced him, still smiling despite his friend's obvious displeasure with having been abandoned so easily. "He's my best friend. You can be his friend, too."

Doing his best to smile in a friendly way, Riku waved at the blond but stood mostly behind Sora as if the brunet offered protection. Being called Sora's best friend seemed to appease Roxas somewhat and he uncrossed his arms, smiling back in a neutral way. Riku stayed where Sora had led him as the brunet fetched a yellow pillow for the new boy to sit on, dragging it over with some trouble and putting it beside his own.

"You can sit here," he signed then pointed at the pillow before sitting on his own blue pillow. Immediately, Roxas latched onto his arm in a display of possessive affection and gave Riku a pointed look as if to say _mine._ Unfazed, Riku settled onto the yellow cushion and once again took hold of Sora's hand.

Obviously confused, Sora looked between Roxas and Riku as if trying to understand the competitive vibe passing between the two boys. The other children looked on in amusement—they realized, even if Sora didn't, that the brunet had inadvertently made himself the center of a competition for the position of "best friend" between Roxas and Riku. Doctor Marluxia shook his head, smiling, and went to his place at the head of the circle.

"Now, why don't we all introduce ourselves?" he suggested, and the session began.

XXX

Xemnas Fuseiai approached the door to the play room, knowing full well that Dr. Shizen and the Silents were inside enjoying an afternoon together. Lifting a hand, he knocked quietly and waiting for the familiar voice to call, "Come in." When those words sounded, he opened the door and entered the playroom. Within moments, all of the children except two moved towards him and signed their hellos, smiling.

"Hello, everyone," the tall man greeted them, smiling. "How are you doing?"

A round of "goods" and descriptions of what they'd been doing that day answered his question, and Xemnas responded to each one in turn until the children were satisfied with interacting with him and returned to their games.

Marluxia, who had been waiting patiently, moved forward once the white-haired man looked towards him. "Mr. Fuseiai."

Silent, the Home's owner gestured for the pink-haired man to join him on the far side of the room, out of ear shot of the children before speaking. "How is our newest addition fitting in?"

"Surprisingly well. I assume you read his file."

Xemnas nodded. "Thoroughly. It made me wonder if he would do well here, but he seems to be getting along with the others."

Both adults turned and watched Riku interacting with Sora and Roxas. The silver-haired boy wasn't as enthusiastic as the two younger boys, but he did seem to be making an effort to participate in the game and readily communicated with Sora.

"What have you learned about him?" Mr. Fuseiai asked, topaz eyes unreadable as he watched the children play.

"He didn't want to shake my hand when he arrived, but I waited long enough that eventually he did, though he definitely wasn't happy about it. I worried he wouldn't want to interact with the other children at all, especially considering how persistent Kairi can be. Sora managed to get through to him within his first few minutes of joining us."

"Really." Xemnas examined the brunet with renewed interest. "How did he manage that?"

"Judging from what Riku said to Sora, the foster homes he was placed in during the last two years weren't really qualified to help him. The reports in his file say that he's aggressive and fights a lot, but Riku told Sora that the other children he lived with picked on him for not being able to talk and he got in trouble for fighting back. He seemed surprise that the children know sign language."

Tsking his tongue, Mr. Fuseiai shook his head. "It's terrible how so many children are mistreated like that."

"I agree. He hasn't been any trouble at all, though he sometimes hesitates before participating in group activities and didn't want to join in on the discussion during the after-dinner session. The others have been a bit calmer than usual so as not to overwhelm him." Proud of how well the Silents were doing with helping Riku become part of the group, Marluxia allowed himself to smile a little.

"Good, good." Xemnas watched the children play for a few moments longer then shifted as if he meant to leave. "Fill out a full report before you go home and leave it in my office, please."

"Of course, sir."

Marluxia watched the other man leave before returning to his desk. A full report could take him up to an hour, especially if he was as meticulous and detailed as he knew Mr. Fuseiai would want him to be. It wasn't exactly a problem, since arriving early every day meant he had a bit of free time in his afternoons after the children were turned over to Lexeaus to work on homework and get ready for bed, but he wasn't particularly fond of paperwork. Still, he was actually rather eager to add his own observations to Riku's file and prove that he wasn't the aggressive child the foster parents had made him out to be. But he would have to note that this was an early speculation—he would need to spend more time around the boy before he could adequately judge his personality and temperament.

Watching Sora show Riku how to operate one of the many hand-held games that were available to the children made the doctor smile. He felt silly for worrying that the new child would cause trouble and disrupt the peace that generally filled the play room and even a little guilty for thinking that he might have to use the Safe Room if things got too out of hand.

So far, it seemed that Riku would fit in perfectly at Fuseiai's Home for Troubled Youths.


	9. Chapter 9

With keen interest, teal eyes watched Doctor Marluxia make his way around the room as the man said good night to the children he was responsible for. Riku saw him kiss each of the other kids' foreheads and pulled his blanket closer to his chin nervously. He didn't want any kisses from the man. It wasn't that he disliked the doctor, just that he didn't know him well enough to be comfortable with such an intimate thing as a kiss good night. No one had been that affectionate with him in a long time, and he wasn't ready for anyone to try. It wouldn't be the same as…well, before.

He shrank even farther under the blanket when the pink-haired man approached his bed, and Marluxia smiled knowingly.

"It's okay," the doctor signed. "I won't until you're okay with it."

Mildly surprised but grateful, Riku blinked up at him then nodded before rolling over and closing his eyes, much more relaxed than he had been a moment ago. The sounds of Marluxia and two other men—one broad-shouldered with short brown hair and the other skinnier with long black hair streaked with gray, an eye patch and angry-looking scar—leaving the room were replaced by the slow, quiet breaths of the other children as, one by one, they each fell asleep. Except for Riku.

Despite being tired and ready to sleep lying comfortably in a soft, warm bed, the nine-year-old couldn't manage to drift off. It occurred to him after several minutes of this that it was much quieter than he was used to. He was more accustomed to the sound of a TV, the voices of foster parents or other children, trains or cars passing by outside, not this peaceful quiet. Even though he rather liked how quiet it was, he felt restless.

Time passed and still he didn't fall asleep. He knew it had been a long time once he heard the door open then close a few moments later. Someone must have been checking on them, and he finally resigned himself to the fact that he wasn't going to be able to fall asleep in such a quiet room even though he was so tired his eyes were starting to hurt and he had a headache.

Slipping out of bed, Riku glanced over to where Sora was sleeping and considered waking the brunet. Maybe signing with his new friend would help him to feel tired enough to sleep. But he remembered how annoyed his old foster siblings were if he woke them up and he hated the idea that Sora would be upset if he woke him, so he let the other boy sleep and crept out of the room. The hallway beyond was dimly lit and he had to pause to let his eyes adjust before moving off towards where he thought the front door was.

He somehow wound up at the cafeteria and was momentarily confused by the folded up tables and stacked chairs, the shapes odd and unfamiliar in the shadows. Once he realized where he was, he started off down another hallway with confidence, staying near the wall so his footsteps made less noise. So far, he seemed to be the only one up and about, and that was perfectly fine with him.

Movement on one of the monitors caught Xigbar's eye and his head turned swiftly, peering at the black-and-white picture. There was nothing there.

_Brilliant. Now I'm imagining things._

The next screen flickered as something passed through the image and this time Xigbar managed to look in time to see a small figure disappear from the camera's view. Suspicious now, he focused on the next screen and saw the same figure appear near the wall, walk down the hallway, then disappear without showing its face to the camera. It didn't look the masked killer he always imagined would show up, and it was heading away from the dormitory sector. The next screen revealed that the figure was heading towards the Home's main entrance, and Xigbar wasted no time in grabbing his flashlight and taser before practically running out of the room in the hopes of cutting the figure off before it reached it's destination.

Lights glowing through the front windows attracted Riku like a moth to a flame. He'd finally found it, the front door, and just beyond that, freedom. At long last, he'd be able to sleep.

Small fingers wrapped around the door handle and pushed. The door shifted just slightly then hit something and stopped; a frown creased the boy's forehead and he pushed harder, but it was no use. The door was locked and he had no way of opening it.

Riku tightened his grip on the handle, closing his eyes and resting his forehead on the cool metal. He was so close. So close. The faint sounds of the city reached him and only made him want out more, but how? A glance was all it took to tell him the windows here didn't open, so he wouldn't be able to climb out of any of them, and the door remained firmly locked no matter how he pushed and shoved and even pulled.

Huffing impatiently, he released the handle and glared at the door, willing it to open with all his might. Suddenly, he froze. There were footsteps from behind him, echoing quietly in the otherwise empty hall. Panic rose in his small chest and he darted away from the door in an attempt to blend in with the shadows along the walls. He was almost definitely going to be in trouble if he got caught out of bed, and he didn't want to be taken away from the first friends he'd had in years after only one day.

The footsteps quickly drew closer, and a tall figure emerged into the dim light coming through the windows from the lights outside. It was one of the men that had been there when he and the other mute children were put to bed, the one with the eye patch. He appeared to be scanning the room for movement, head turning slowly so his remaining eye could get a good view.

Riku held his breath so the sound wouldn't betray his location. If he was fast enough and quiet enough, he might be able to sneak back to bed and wouldn't be punished for breaking what he was sure was more than one rule on his first night. He started to inch along the wall, then, to his dismay, the scarred man took a flashlight from his belt and clicked it on. The beam illuminated the dark corners with ease as it swept across the floor, eventually landing on Riku.

Relief flashed across the man's face and he moved closer to where the silver-haired boy stood, the flashlight lowered so it didn't shine into Riku's eyes and hurt them.

"What are you doing out here at this time of night?" the man asked quietly, obviously concerned, then he paused for a moment. "…Riku, right?"

Surprised that this man knew his name because they hadn't been introduced, Riku nodded and stopped pressing himself back against the wall as if it would swallow him up and hide him from the brightness of the flashlight. It didn't sound like he was in trouble, at least not yet.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Another nod.

The scarred man nodded, pursing his lips as he examined the child before him. Then he looked at the front doors. "You were trying to go outside?"

Riku nodded yet again when the one-eyed gaze returned to him, hopeful now that perhaps this man would unlock the door and let him go outside, just for a little bit, rather than putting him in time-out like his previous foster parents would have. Actually, if he'd been caught trying to go outside in the middle of the night by his foster parents, they might have called his social worker and complained to them that he was a troublemaker. But that didn't seem to be happening here.

He pointed at the door then at his ear, trying to communicate that he needed to hear the sounds of the city because it was too quiet in the room where the other mute children were sleeping. The man seemed to understand because he pulled a ring of keys from his belt and selected one that Riku hoped was for the front door.

"Just a moment." He pulled something else from his belt and flipped it open, proving it to be a cell phone, and held down one of the buttons before putting it to his ear. Riku waited, curious, as the man listened to it ring several times.

"Hey, Doc, sorry about calling you so late, but I got one of your kids out of bed and he wants to go outside."

The name "Doc" caught Riku's attention and he strained to hear the other side of the conversation, wondering if the scarred man had called Doctor Marluxia.

"Yeah, he's fine."

It must be the doctor. Riku couldn't think of anyone else for this man to call who would ask if he was okay, especially so late at night.

"He says he couldn't sleep and he keeps pointing at his ear." The man paused to listen then nodded. "That makes sense. All right, thanks, Dr. Shizen, and sorry again about waking you." The phone was closed and returned back to its place on the belt and the man turned to Riku. "Doctor Marluxia says you're allowed to sit outside until you fall asleep. Is that what you wanted?"

Riku nodded earnestly and took a step towards the door, his green-blue eyes never leaving the man. Anxious to be outside, he waited as the door was unlocked and opened before slowly moving past the man and stepping into the cool night air. The sounds of cars driving by surrounded him, oddly soothing after the quiet of inside, and he headed straight for a bench beneath a nearby tree. It was easy enough to hop up onto the bench, though his feet didn't quite reach the ground as he sat there, and soon enough he moved to lie down, pillowing his cheek on his arms.

Lying there, listening to the traffic and the wind in the tree branches, he felt his eyelids grow heavy within mere minutes. It was perfect, not too loud but not as oppressively quiet as the bedroom was, and Riku barely had time to register that the man who'd opened the door was standing nearby before he fell asleep.

Xigbar watched the boy, Riku, from his place near the front doors of the Home. It bewildered him that the kid couldn't fall asleep in a peaceful room like the Silents' bedroom yet the traffic was practically a lullaby to him. Already, Riku's was curled up on the bench as if it was the softest bed in the world and he looked like he was sound asleep.

_Huh, guess the doctor was right._

Smiling slightly, he approached the bench and peered at the figure sitting there to make sure Riku really was asleep before he carefully picked the boy up and carried him back towards the Home. It was a little bit of a challenge to unlock the door, open it and make sure it was locked again behind him without jostling Riku too much so that he would stay asleep, but Xigbar managed. After that, he just had to carry the sleeping boy back to the bedroom where the other Silents were still asleep and tuck him into bed. Should be easy enough.

He had to shuffle the body in his arms a little in order to open the door, then tiptoed between the occupied bunks to the empty bed Riku had abandoned in favor of wandering the halls and falling asleep outside. The blankets were already pushed out of the way, so Xigbar leaned over the bed, gently laid the still-sleeping boy down and set his head comfortably on the pillow before pulling the blankets back up to cover the small body. Straightening, he felt a smile tug at his lips and fixed the blanket, though it didn't really need fixing.

"Good night, Riku," he whispered, then glanced around to make sure the other children were in safely bed and fast asleep before leaving just as quietly as he'd arrived.

The walk back to the security office was uneventful, and Xigbar sighed as he sank into his chair. His eye flitted from one monitor to the next, scanning for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing caught his attention and he relaxed a little more, content with how the night had gone. It wasn't the first time he'd found a child out of bed, but it was the first time he'd then allowed that child to go outside only to carry him back to his bed mere minutes later as said child slept.

_He can't have been awake since lights out, just waiting to fall asleep. No kid can stay awake that long, especially when they're as tired as Riku looked._

It made him uncomfortable to think the boy might have been lying awake all those hours and had gotten desperate enough to sneak out of bed and try to leave the Home. Well, not uncomfortable exactly, but he felt bad that Riku hadn't been able to sleep and that there hadn't been anyone he thought would be able to help him. Hopefully, he wouldn't think that way for long.

When Xigbar's watch beeped to alert him that it was 7:30 in the morning, he stood from his place behind the desk and stretched, his joints popping quietly after sitting for most of the night. Even though it was too early for the children of the Home to be up yet and most of the employees wouldn't be here until 8am, he went through a door at the back of the room and began flipping large switches to turn on all the lights in the Home safe for those in the dormitory quarter. Those lights would remain off for another hour, and by then Lexeaus would be there to wake the children and start getting them ready for breakfast. That's when Xigbar's shift would end and he'd be able to go home and sleep, but first he wanted to discuss last night's events with the Home's resident psychologist.

The sounds of the Home coming to life reached him as he walked through the halls, but he didn't stop until he reached Dr. Shizen's office, where he knocked. He waited until the familiar voice called for him to come in, then entered the office and smiled in greeting.

"Morning, Doc."

"Good morning, Xigbar." The doctor certainly didn't look like it was a good morning. His hair wasn't as neat as usual and he had the beginnings of dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn't slept well the night before.

"I wanted to talk to you about last night."

Marluxia nodded and gestured at the chair in front of his desk as he sat in his own chair. "Of course, have a seat."

"Thank you." Xigbar sat and tapped his fingers on the armrest before he began. "What do you think we should do about Riku?"

"I would say we start him on a program to help him grow accustomed to the dormitory quarters here so he'll be able to easily fall asleep in the future."

"And how do we do that?"

Sighing, Marluxia closed his eyes and rubbed at them with one hand, grimacing as if he had a headache. Xigbar felt a pang of guilt when he realized his call in the middle of the night was probably the reason the doctor was so tired now.

"I'll talk to him during his individual session today and ask him what he wants to do. We'll come up with something."

Xigbar hesitated for a moment. "I'd be willing to take him outside until he falls asleep then carry him back to bed like I did last night, if that's what it takes. Though it'd be best to do it before midnight so that he actually gets enough sleep."

The doctor nodded in agreement, gazing at the ceiling as if he would find the answers to all of his problems hidden there. "Perhaps in the beginning. We'll just have to try a few things and find out what works."

Content with that for now, Xigbar stood and headed for the door. "Let me know what you decide to do," he said before leaving, on his way to perform his regular morning tasks. First things first, he needed to unlock the front doors and make sure the classrooms were ready. It was time for yet another day to begin at Fuseiai's Home for Troubled Youth, and Xigbar was the first step in everything going smoothly.


	10. Chapter 10

It was sunny today and just a little windy, warm enough that Roxas left his jacket inside. The metal and plastic of the playground was cool under his fingers as he climbed, racing Sora to the top the way they always did the moment they were allowed to play outside. But this time was different. This time, they weren't just racing each other. Sora had convinced the new boy, Riku, to join them in their daily race, and Roxas wasn't entirely sure how he felt about it.

The older boy made him nervous. He'd never been very good at making friends, even before he'd started living at the Home. It had taken him two weeks to even communicate with the other Silents on his own, and then he'd only really been comfortable around Sora for a while. The brunet's friendly nature meant that he was eager to greet new arrivals, and with each one, Roxas worried that he would be forgotten. It hadn't bothered him to meet Namine—Kairi had latched onto the blonde girl quickly enough that he didn't lose Sora's affection—but this time, he seemed to be losing his friend completely.

Even though he climbed as fast as he could, Roxas found that he was the last of the three boys to reach the highest platform. Sora was already signing to Riku, asking him what game he wanted to play. Normally, they would take a moment to look out over their small outdoor play area and catch their breath before deciding on a game.

Surprised by the sudden change, Roxas hung back and looked down at his shoes rather than try to participate in the conversation. He felt unwanted; Sora hadn't even glanced at him when he'd reached the platform.

_I'm his best friend. Sora's just being nice because Riku's new,_ he tried to reassure himself, but a glance was all it took to confirm his fears.

His friend's attention was entirely focused on the new boy and he didn't appear to even have noticed Roxas' presence. Dejected, the blond wandered off the platform and climbed onto a different part of the jungle gym, his legs dangling off the edge. In this spot, no one would be able to see him unless they went into the back corner of the play area and looked up at the jungle gym. It was his favorite place to sit and think away from the other children.

He hadn't hidden himself there for a long time. There'd been no need to, since Sora was always there, smiling and ready to play. Sora had someone else to play with now, and Roxas was beginning to wish he wasn't so shy. Maybe if he wasn't so passive or if he decided what game to play for once, his brown-haired friend wouldn't forget him so easily.

_What if he likes Riku better than me? Will he be the new best friend?_

The thought made him feel small and he drew his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them, his feet braced on the edge of the space he'd claimed for himself. He didn't want to lose his place as Sora's best friend. Sora was the only real friend he'd had since he lost his parents. It just wasn't fair. Why did Riku have to come and steal his friend away from him?

Roxas wasn't sure if he had it in him to fight for his title. He _wanted_ to be Sora's best friend, wanted to get along with Riku and have things go back to the way they'd been. But Riku was older than him, bigger and taller and seemed more outgoing than Roxas himself was. Roxas was shy. Most of the time, he let Sora make the decisions and was more than happy to go along with whatever the brunet wanted. It was easier that way, and Sora always came up with good games. There was no reason for the blond to force himself out of his comfort zone. Until now.

_I have to show Sora how much fun I am. I have to be more fun than Riku._

Yeah. He could do that. He could be fun.

Grabbing the bar above his head, Roxas pulled himself upright and climbed back over onto the main part of the jungle gym. Movement caught his eye, and he looked up to see Sora waving at him with his usual smile in place. Riku was standing a behind the brunet, his expression neutral as Sora beckoned for Roxas to join them. Fixing his own smile in place, the blond joined the two older boys.

"Where did you go?" Sora signed, his eyebrows coming together in a concerned frown as he looked at his friend. "We were looking for you."

"Just waiting for you to pick a game," Roxas lied, his smile still in place. "Did you pick?"

Sora nodded, immediately losing his frown and smiling again instead, and explained the game he and Riku had decided on. "We are going to have an obstacle course."

Two hours passed, during which Riku, Sora and Roxas wore themselves out by climbing all over the playground, counting in their heads to time each other and see who could follow a specific path the fastest. It was a fairly even competition, since Sora and Roxas knew the layout of the jungle gym and were more experienced climbing on it than Riku was, but Riku was older with longer arms and legs so he had an easier time with some of the obstacles. They were catching their breath at the end of their latest race when Doctor Marluxia's voice reached them.

"Time to go inside, everyone. Dinner will be ready soon," the man called, standing near the sliding glass door.

Immediately, the other Silents began picking up their toys and gathering around him to go inside and put their things away so they could go eat. As their final race, Sora, Roxas and Riku climbed down as fast as they could and began the short walk to Marluxia. The blond was just behind the other two boys and so he easily saw when Riku grabbed onto Sora's hand.

No, no that wasn't right. Sora never held anyone's hand but Roxas'. He would pulling away from the older boy and sign something as an excuse so Riku wouldn't get his feelings hurt, Roxas knew he would. But it didn't. To his surprise, Sora smiled at the other boy and squeezed Riku's hand gently, as if encouraging him to do things like that if he wanted to. Jealousy surged up in Roxas and before he knew what he was doing he'd thrown himself forward at the silver-haired boy, face twisted in a silent snarl.

"Roxas!"

The sound of Marluxia shouting his name did nothing to stop the blond as he used his entire body to force Riku to the ground in order to tear him away from Sora. He wasn't heavy enough to pin the older boy, though, and Riku twisted onto his back, clenched fist lashing out in defense as he closed his eyes against any oncoming attacks. Pain in his cheek from being hit made Roxas recoil for just a moment, which was enough time for Riku to shove him away, and both boys scrambled to their feet.

Astonished at what had just taken place, Sora looked between his two friends with wide eyes. Riku looked like he was on the verge of crying and was barely managing to contain himself. Roxas, on the other hand, stood stiff as a bored with his shoulders hunched up to his ears as he glared at the dirt between his shoes, his hands clenched into tight fists at his side.

"What on earth were you thinking, Roxas?" Doctor Marluxia asked as he approached, too upset to sign as he spoke. "Why did you attack Riku?"

He and the other children watched the blond, waiting for a response, but Roxas didn't move. The blond stood still as a statue as if he couldn't even hear what the doctor was saying. His cheek hurt from Riku punching him and jealousy continued to eat as his insides, making him feel hollow and angry and unwanted. Now, with everyone's eyes on him, waiting for him to explain himself, he felt guilty and ashamed for what he'd done. So what if Sora had let Riku hold his hand? The older boy was new and probably just didn't want to be separated from the brunet. Roxas was still all but inseparable from his friend even though he was perfectly comfortable with the other children. He had no explanation other than that he'd been jealous, and that wasn't good enough. He was going to be in a lot of trouble and he knew he deserved it, but he didn't want to admit that he'd only done it because he didn't want to share his best friend. It was the sort of selfish impulse that would make Doctor Marluxia disappointed in him.

Roxas could just imagine sitting in the small room they used for individual sessions, the doctor looking at him with a frown, telling him how disappointed he was in the blond, how he thought Roxas was a better person than that and how he thought Roxas had made so much progress with his therapy only to take a huge step backwards by fighting with another child. Just thinking of that expression, the look Doctor Marluxia got that made him feel like he was personally responsible for every bad thing ever and that he had let everyone who ever cared about him down, made Roxas want to burst into tears. It made him want to apologize for breaking the rule, tell Riku he was sorry, beg Sora not to hate him for being a bad friend and then accept his punishment without complaint.

It would be easier if the doctor would just get angry like every other adult. Then, Roxas would be able to stay mad and he'd sulk the whole way through his lecture then grudgingly apologize to Riku at the end of it without experiencing any really guilt. Unfortunately, Doctor Marluxia was never angry. Just disappointed, and that disappointment was worse than any yelled lecture or harsh punishment could ever be.

A hand on his arm interrupted Roxas' train of thought and he looked up into confused, worried blue eyes.

"What happened?"

Roxas couldn't lie to Sora. "You held his hand."

That only seemed to confuse the brunet further. "So? I hold your hand a lot."

"I do not want you to hold anyone else's hand."

Puzzled by this revelation, Sora looked over to where Riku was still standing and met the older boy's teal gaze before looking back at his blond friend. "But I like Riku. Why is holding his hand bad?"

The blond hesitated, lowering his gaze as he signed, "Do you like him more than me?" He looked up again after a moment to see Sora shaking his head.

"No. He is my friend. You are my best friend. It is different." His usual smile making its appearance, Sora pulled the blond boy into an affectionate hug, which, to his relief, Roxas returned without pause. After a moment, he pulled away and gestured for Riku to come closer.

Unsure, the silver-haired boy slowly approached and found himself pulled into another hug along with Roxas, with Sora holding them together in a way that clearly said he wanted them to get along because they were both his friends and he didn't want his friends to fight. It made both boys feel better, though Roxas knew he was still going to be in trouble for starting a fight. That was okay, though. He was willing to work through whatever punishment Doctor Marluxia deemed fit for his outburst as long as Sora was still his friend, and it didn't seem like Riku harbored any resentment towards him for being pushed.

When the brunet finally released Riku and Roxas, the younger boy smiled at them briefly then went to where Doctor Marluxia was still standing as he silently observed their interactions, and looked up at the pink-haired man.

"I am sorry, Doctor," he signed, expression somber. "That was bad and I will not do it again."

The doctor kneeled and patted Roxas' shoulder. "I know you won't, but you still have to work through the discipline steps for fighting, Roxas."

"Okay."

Marluxia smiled slightly and glanced to where Sora was looking at him pleadingly, signing over and over that he please not be too upset with the blond. "We'll talk about it after dinner. Now, let's all go inside and get cleaned up. I think that's more than enough excitement for one day." Straightening, he led the way inside as the children followed him, though Kairi hung back and grabbed Roxas' sleeve before he could go inside.

"Did you tell Riku you are sorry?" she asked, giving him a stern look.

"No, but I will." Roxas smiled and pulled Kairi inside with him so Marluxia could shut and lock the door. The girl nodded and as if she expected no less and went to catch up with Namine, leaving Roxas to join his best friend and new friend to line up for dinner.


	11. Chapter 11

"Namine, your aunt just called. She's on her way to pick you up."

Disappointment filled the blonde as she registered what Doctor Marluxia had just said, and she immediately felt guilty. She didn't want to go back to the condo with her aunt. She wanted to stay at the Home with her friends, but she knew she should be glad to see her aunt. It had been several days since she'd last left the Home—Larxene had dropped her off then left town on business and had only just gotten back.

The blonde felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Roxas, Sora and Riku standing there.

"You are leaving?" the brunet boy signed, looking sad at the possibility.

Nodding, Namine gathered up her crayons and placed them neatly in their box, arranging them in the order of a rainbow, then packed her crayon box coloring book into her backpack as she stood. She faced the three boys and offered a weak smile, slipping her arms through the straps of her bag so she could sign. "Do not worry, I will be back soon. Maybe tomorrow."

"I hope so." Sora gave her his usual grin and hugged her gently before stepping back so Roxas could hug her as well.

Namine couldn't help but smile back at them, and made sure to meet Riku's eyes. The silver-haired boy hadn't been there long enough to be comfortable with hugging the other children, but she knew he cared about her, so she smiled at him and signed, "I will miss you, R-I-K-U."

A light blush spread over his cheeks and he looked down shyly, making Sora giggle.

"We will miss you, too," Roxas signed, then looked up as Doctor Marluxia approached them.

"Time to go, Namine."

Immediately, Kairi was on her feet as well, abandoning her own coloring project, and had grabbed onto the blonde's hand as her way of letting the doctor know that she didn't want her friend to leave.

Doctor Marluxia smiled fondly. "I know, Kairi, but Namine doesn't live here. She lives with her aunt, and it's time for her to go home."

Reluctant, Kairi looked at the other girl and slowly let go of her hand; Namine hugged her, smiling as she pulled away, and waved as the doctor led her to the door. Before he opened it, the pink-haired man knelt and looked Namine in the eye.

"Will you be all right?" he asked quietly, his hands placed lightly on her shoulders. With a reassuring smile, she nodded. Marluxia studied her expression for a few moments then straightened, opening the door to reveal Lexeaus waiting on the other side.

"Ready?" the Ward Father asked, gaze shifting between Namine and Marluxia. Nodding, Marluxia took a step back.

"Have a good night, Namine," he told her, then watched as the blonde and brown-haired man walked away down the hall.

Each step increased Namine's feeling of…was it dread? Did she really dread seeing her aunt again, going back to the condo and staying there for who knew how long? If she was completely honest with herself, yes, she dreaded it. She didn't want to go, not with even the smallest piece of herself, and the knowledge filled her with a terrible sense of guilt. Larxene was her only family—she should be excited to see her and want to spend time with her, but she wasn't. All she could think about was the silent car ride, the mostly-dark condo, being ignored by her aunt for the rest of the day and having to take care of herself because she'd be forgotten the moment they walked in the front door.

_I want to stay here,_ she thought wistfully, looking around that these plain walls she'd become so attached to. _I don't want to go back with her. She doesn't want me._

Even thinking about her aunt's lack of emotion towards her was enough to make her heart hurt. She didn't know why Larxene ignored her, but even after all this time, she still wasn't used to it.

And then they were at the front doors, and Namine could see her aunt's car through the front windows, waiting to take her back to that place of silence and loneliness. Her steps slowed; Lexeaus looked back at her in concern.

"Namine?"

She didn't want to go, but she had to, and she knew she should want to spend time with her aunt, so she smiled a little and walked faster, pausing as Lexeaus opened the door, then making the short trip down the sidewalk by herself. Larxene didn't say anything as she climbed into the car and put on her seat belt, though she hadn't expected her to. It would have been surprised if the woman even bothered to look directly at her. Namine didn't expect any sort of attention from her aunt.

The ride back to the condo was, as usual, silent except for the sound of the car. Larxene didn't even turn the radio on, which Namine thought would have at least made it appear as if they were more comfortable around each other than they really were. Lately, Namine felt more and more distanced from her aunt. She saw her less and spent more nights at the Home than at the condo. It felt like Larxene was slowly giving her away, and Namine didn't know how to react. She should be hurt that her only family didn't want her, but she loved the Home and her friends there so much that she secretly hoped that one day, Larxene would call and give up custody. Which only made Namine feel worse.

If only she could talk to the woman sitting less than two feet away. Then she'd be able to ask her why she went away so often, why she didn't want to spend time with Namine the way they used to. Before her parents were killed, Larxene used to take Namine out for ice cream or to the movies, and just in general keep her distracted and happy while her parents were at work or busy. Namine had never felt ignored or unwanted before, but all that had changed overnight. Sometimes, she caught herself wishing that the man who came and killed her parents had found her hiding under their bed.

_No, that's bad,_ she told herself, frowning slightly. _Mama and Papa would be sad if they knew I felt that way. It's good that he didn't find me, or I'd be dead, too, and then Aunt Xene would be all alone. No one should be all alone._

When they got back to the building they lived in, and Larxene led the way up to the condo, Namine was tempted to grab onto her aunt's hand and refuse to let go until the woman _looked_ at her for the first time in Namine couldn't remember how long. But she didn't. She meekly followed the woman into the condo then went straight to her room, knowing that since it was after seven, Larxene would spend the rest of her evening in the living room watching TV or reading a book and sipping wine until she was tired enough to go to bed. Namine had no interest in watching her aunt lounge on the couch, and so locked herself in her room to play on her own.

Unwilling to sit in silence for the next few hours, Namine went to the small CD player she had sitting on her nightstand and started the CD inside, smiling as the soft music began to fill the room. It used to be her mother's, one of the few CDs she would play early in the mornings on the days she didn't have to go to work and got to spend the whole day at home with Namine. Those had been the best days, and listening to the music helped Namine to remember how happy she'd been back then.

Waking up to her mother whispering to her and stroking her hair, a breakfast of orange juice and pancakes or waffles with whipped cream and strawberries or bananas on top. They would always go for a walk down to the park they'd lived by after breakfast, and spend the whole morning playing together. Namine remembered being pushed on the swing, going down the slide to be hugged at the bottom, buying ice cream from the vendor that always came by just before noon and sitting together on a park bench, giggling as they tried to eat the ice cream before it melted. The walk back to the condo was used to decide what to make for lunch, which was always something easy and fun to make, and they usually made a huge mess of the kitchen in the progress. They had fun cleaning it up, though. Namine's mother would start the music again and they would dance around the kitchen together as they cleaned, and once all the dishes were washed and put away, they would waste the afternoon away telling stories and playing with Namine's toys.

Sighing, Namine sat in front of her doll house and looked at the furniture set up inside, looked at the dolls poised in the living room and in the kitchen. Their painted-on smiles had never looked so fake to her as they did now. In a fit of anger, she grabbed them out and threw them onto the floor then tipped the dollhouse and shook it; there was a loud crash as all the furniture and little accessories fell out and spilled over the white carpet, scattering everywhere. It was surprisingly satisfying to make such a mess, and Namine instantly felt much better. Soon, though, that satisfaction faded as she looked at the mess and thought about what her parents would have said if she'd done this while they'd been alive.

_I never did this while they were here. I never got upset. What's wrong with me?_

Shame made her straighten the dollhouse and carefully put everything back in its proper place. The commotion she'd caused didn't seem to have caught her aunt's attention, but that was a good thing. She wouldn't have been able to explain herself to the woman, anyway. Once the dolls were once more positioned in the house, Namine took her coloring book and crayon box out of her bag, lying on the floor to continue working on the picture she'd been coloring when Doctor Marluxia had told her it was time to go. It was a picture of two birds sitting on a tree branch with leaves and little berries, and snow. She colored the berries in with a bright, pink-ish red that reminded her of Kairi's hair. The sky was a bright blue and she colored the birds with her brown crayons, trying to make them look as real as she could.

When she was finished, Namine tore the page out of her coloring book and taped it to the wall with all the other pictures she'd colored. Most of them were of animals, some were landscapes and buildings, but few of them had people in them. Any people in the pictures were not colored in—they were left blank, as if they were meant to be invisible. Namine never colored in the people, and she skipped the pages in her coloring book that featured people. She only liked the ones that were animals or trees or rivers or mountains. Those things were better to color than people were. All the pictures of people were of families, of laughing and smiling and being happy. There were moms and dads with their kids, sometimes a cat or dog as the family pet. She usually colored in the pets.

The page after the birds was a little boy throwing a Frisbee with his parents and dog. They were all smiling and happy. It made Namine's heart hurt to look at.

_I want to be this happy. I want to have a family again, to go to the park and play games and eat ice cream and have waffles for breakfast with whipped cream and strawberries on them._

It just wasn't fair. Why did her parents have to die? What had they ever done for someone to want to hurt them? They were good people. Namine _knew_ her parents were good and that the man who had killed them had gone to jail and would never get out, but it didn't make her feel any better. It didn't bring her parents back. The only time she felt happy now was when she was at the Home with Kairi and Sora and Doctor Marluxia. Now that she was at the condo again, she began to wish Doctor Marluxia was there to tuck her in and kiss her forehead goodnight. She wished Kairi was there for her to sleep next to so she wouldn't feel so alone.

_I want to go home,_ she thought to the people in her coloring book, without even realizing what she'd just admitted to herself.


	12. Chapter 12

Worry gnawed at Marluxia like a disease. It made him lose focus on his work, and he knew the children at the Home could tell something was bothering him, even if they didn't know what that something was. He thought about it for the entire drive back to his and Luxord's house, the feeling that something was horribly wrong with Namine's home life, that she wasn't safe with her aunt. But there was nothing he could do about it, not now, at least.

The lights were off when he pulled up to the house, which meant Luxord was either already sleeping or still at work. Probably the latter, since the goateed man almost never went to sleep until after Marluxia got home, and even if he did, he left the porch light on to signal that he was home. There was no telling when he'd get back, so Marluxia let himself into the house and flicked on the porch light before going into the kitchen to have a snack. He found leftover pasta from the night before and warmed it up in the microwave, leaning on the counter as he waited. It was almost eerily quiet to be in the house by himself while it was dark outside.

_Maybe I should adopt a kitten from the humane society. Then I'd have someone to keep me company whenever Luxord has to leave for work or doesn't get home until late. But he doesn't like cats very much, so I shouldn't just go get one without talking to him._

Sighing, the pink-haired man took his plate of pasta into the living room and sat on the couch to eat. The TV came to life at the press of a button and he lazily clicked through the channels in search of something to spend his evening on since he didn't have Luxord there to talk to and he hadn't had any paperwork to bring home with him. His pasta slowly disappeared until the empty plate ended up on the coffee table and Marluxia was lying on the couch, curled up under a blanket as he stared at the TV without watching what was on. Some evening cop show, one of the dozen or so that had exploded due to the crime-show-craze the world seemed to be enduring lately. It did little to distract him, and he once again found himself worrying about Namine.

_She didn't seem to want to see her aunt at all, and the other children didn't want her to leave. She even had to reassure them that she'd be fine and would be back. There _has_ to be something going on in that house to make Namine so unwilling to go back. Judging by her aunt's behavior so far, she doesn't interact with Namine very much, and she seems annoyed by the child's inability to speak, more than concerned. A healthy, caring guardian wouldn't be annoyed._

Unfortunately, Marluxia knew that it was actually fairly common for the guardians of traumatized children to be annoyed when those children had trouble socializing or adjusting to their new homes. Riku was an excellent example of that—he'd been blamed rather than helped when he got into fights with other children. He should never have been put into the foster homes he stayed at, but perhaps it was the opposite with Namine. Maybe she should have been placed in a foster home rather than move in with her aunt. The woman was obviously incapable of caring for a child as sensitive as Namine.

"She doesn't deserve such a sweet little girl," the doctor muttered, half dozing on the couch. Soon enough he was fast asleep, the TV still on as he slept.

That was how Luxord found him when the lawyer returned home after midnight, and he couldn't help the fond smile that tugged at his mouth. He turned the TV off and carefully picked up his sleeping lover, easily carrying him through the house and up to their bedroom. The pink-haired man stirred slightly and mumbled was he was undressed and redressed in his pajamas but didn't truly wake up, much to Luxord's amusement. He left the doctor on the bed as he went into the bathroom, showered, put on his pajamas, and brushed his teeth.

Once he was ready for bed, Luxord tucked the shorter man in, carefully pulling the blankets over Marluxia's narrow frame, then lay down beside him.

"Good night, Marly," he whispered, slipping an arm around his lover's waist and holding him close for both warmth and affection.

"Mm…Lux…" the other hummed softly in response, and Luxord smiled.

"Yes?"

"Want…"

Luxord placed a kiss on his lover's shoulder. "You want, what?"

"Kids…" Marluxia sighed as he slipped back into a deep sleep.

The blond man froze in disbelief at the word. Had Marluxia just said he wanted kids? They'd jokingly talked about how they would raise their children, but neither had ever actually admitted to _wanting_ kids. Kids were a big step. A _really_ big step, and obviously they would have to adopt or find a surrogate mother if they were going to raise a family together.

But Luxord wasn't sure if he wanted kids, not at this point in his life. He was in the middle of a case, he knew Marluxia was worried about work, and they were both still "in the closet" when it came to anyone outside family and close friends. What would happen if their bosses found out they were life partners and trying to adopt a kid? Where could they go that would let them adopt together as co-guardians? There was so much to consider, and Luxord was much too tired to think about all of it right now. Right now, he needed to go to sleep so he'd be able to work efficiently tomorrow. If he could, he'd get home earlier and talk to Marluxia about the kid thing over dinner, and that would have to be enough for now.

"What time did you get home last night?"

Luxord swallowed his bite of cereal and looked across the table to where Marluxia was drinking his coffee. "About 12:30. You were asleep on the couch, so I took you up to bed."

The pink-haired man nodded. He'd assumed as much, but he hadn't wanted to fall asleep. He wanted to talk to Luxord about something important. "I was trying to wait up for you."

"Nice job," Luxord chuckled before taking another bite. "Did you, uh, have a reason or just want to?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

Instantly, Luxord remember the last few words he'd exchanged with the shorter man the night before, and he nervously put down his spoon. "What about?"

With clear hesitation, Marluxia sipped his coffee to give himself an extra moment. "I want your opinion on adoption."

And there it was, the word he'd been almost afraid of hearing come out of his lover's mouth. What was he supposed to say? Should he bring up all those questions he'd thought of last night or just say something non-committal and let Marluxia keep talking so he had time to think of a reasonable response.

"Well…it's important for those without families to be cared for, and adoption is a great way to do that, especially for those who want to start a family but maybe aren't capable of having their own kids." Hopefully that was somewhere along the lines of what Marluxia had been wanting to hear, but when the doctor stared at Luxord in confusion, he knew he'd gotten something wrong. "What?"

"Luxord, I'm not talking about adopting a child."

Relief made the blond man let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Then what are you talking about?"

"I want to go to the humane center and pick out a pet."

"Why do you want a pet?" Luxord asked, ready to agree to whatever the other man wanted just because they weren't talking about adopting a kid.

Marluxia shrugged, examining the grain in the tabletop. "It gets lonely around here when you're gone for work. I thought a kitten or a puppy would be perfect to keep me company." A hand covered one of his and he looked up to see Luxord smiling at him.

"We can go to the center and look together as soon as I finish this case, all right?"

Happy with that response, Marluxia nodded and went back to his coffee without pulling his hand away from the other man's. "Why did you think I meant adopting kids? We've never talked about adoption before."

Crap. "Uh…no reason. You spoke in your sleep last night, so I just assumed you meant kids."

His curiosity rising, Marluxia carefully examined the nervous-looking man sitting only a couple feet away. "What did I say?"

"Well, you were sort of mumbling, but it sounded like you said you wanted kids, so when you asked me what I thought of adoption, I thought you were going to ask if we could try to adopt and start a family."

"Oh, I see." Both men were quiet for several moments as Luxord finished his cereal and put his dishes in the sink before starting to make sure he had everything he needed for work that day. Marluxia was still sitting at the table, apparently lost in thought.

"Luxord."

"Yes?"

Marluxia looked up at him, meeting the ice blue eyes. "Would you ever want to adopt?"

_Damn it, I thought we were done with this topic_, Luxord thought, once again trying to come up with a suitable answer.

"I don't know, Marly," he admitted after a few minutes had passed. "It's a big decision, and with us both being closeted, it would be pretty difficult to keep our relationship a secret if we start raising kids together. You know I love you and I know you've always wanted to be a dad, and I wouldn't really mind have a few little ones running around the house, laughing and giggling and calling me 'Dad' and you 'Daddy,' but I'm not really sure if it's such a good idea."

The images conjured up by Luxord's description made Marluxia smile, but what he found interesting was that the children he pictured living in that house with him were Kairi and Roxas and Sora, Riku, Axel and Demyx and Zexion and even Namine, a little older than they were now, but happy and smiling and somehow able to speak again.

It was true, he'd always wanted to be a father and had told Luxord as much soon after they'd first met. He knew the chances of being a dad were slim since he wasn't in "traditional" relationship, but that didn't mean the desire to have a family went away. Being a children's therapist had partially satisfied that desire, since he spent so much time with the children at the Home and was their primary caretaker, but they didn't call him "Daddy" like Luxord said, and he couldn't hug them whenever he wanted, or hold their hands or play with them the way a father would. Being their doctor wasn't the same as being their father.

"I know it would be hard, and we might have trouble finding somewhere that will let us adopt as co-guardians, but…I think I want to try, Luxord. I want to have a family with you," he said quietly, and he meant it. Luxord was everything he'd ever wanted in a partner—smart, independent, sarcastic and witty but still warm and affectionate, loyal and protective and a little bit possessive and stubborn beyond all belief. They'd been together for years, and Marluxia decided he was ready to take their relationship up a notch by adopting a kid together.

Smiling slightly, Luxord moved around the table and wrapped his arms around the other man's shoulders, hugging him close as he felt arms around his waist. "I know, but let's talk about it later, okay? I have to go to work, and I promise to be home on time tonight so we can keep talking about this if you want to. For now, though just think about what sort of pet you want so we can be prepared when we visit the humane society this weekend." He placed a kiss on the top of Marluxia's head, smoothing the pink hair back with his hand.

"Okay." Marluxia smiled up at the other man as he let him go and finished his breakfast, content for now with the way the conversation had gone. It was definitely something he wanted to discuss further with the blond man, but Luxord was right. This was a very serious decision that should be talked about at a better time, so he let it go. For now, he would be satisfied with thoughts of choosing a kitten to bring home.


	13. Chapter 13

It wasn't the same. The children were playing like always, finished with their classes for the day and waiting until it was time for dinner. But it wasn't the same. Namine wasn't there. She hadn't been for almost a week, ever since her aunt returned from her business trip and picked the blonde child up from the Home. As busy as Larxene was, it seemed she didn't have time to bring Namine by for her therapy sessions or at least arrange for an assistant or nanny to take care of it.

Every time Marluxia thought of the woman, he decided she was less capable and worthy of taking care of a delicate child like Namine, or any child at all, for that matter. The woman was ignorant and even though he'd only interacted with her directly a couple of times, Marluxia felt a cold dislike for her. He understood that it must have been extremely difficult for Larxene to lose her sister and brother-in-law, but that was no excuse for neglecting a child.

_It would be better if Namine came to live here. That way she would at least be cared for like a six-year-old girl should be._

"Kairi."

The redhead looked up from where she was playing with Roxas, Sora and Riku.

"Come here, please."

Curious, Kairi got up and went to the doctor's desk to see what he wanted. "Yes?"

"I want to talk to you about Namine." He spoke quietly and held his hands where the other children wouldn't be able to see them should they glance over—he didn't want them to be concerned unnecessarily.

"What about her?"

"Has she told you anything to make you worry about her?"

Kairi seemed to hesitate for a moment as she considered the doctor's question. "Yes."

"What did she tell you?"

"She does not like to go back to her aunt's house. It makes her sad to leave."

"Why doesn't she want to go back with her aunt?"

"It is sad there. Too quiet. Her aunt does not talk to her or look at her. Namine told us she has to cook for herself. She puts herself to bed and gets up on her own. Doctor, Namine is in a bad place," she finished, looking up at him with pleading blue eyes. "Please let her stay here, Doctor."

Marluxia did his best to smile reassuringly. "I will try. Promise."

The child held up her right hand, fisted save for her pinky, and looked back at the man with a serious expression. Without hesitating, Marluxia wrapped his own pinky around hers.

"Pinky promise."

Satisfied with that, Kairi nodded and smiled as she pulled her hand away. "Can I go play?"

Smiling fondly, Marluxia nodded. "Tell Roxas I wish to speak with him."

"Okay." The redhead hurried over to where the blond was and sent him to Marluxia's desk.

"Hello, Doctor."

"Hello, Roxas. How are you today?"

"I am okay. Is something wrong?" Roxas asked, worried that he might be in trouble even though he didn't think he'd broken any rules.

Marluxia chuckled. "No, of course not. You have been behaving perfectly. The reason I asked to speak with you, Roxas, is because I want to ask you how you feel about Namine."

"Namine is nice," came the immediate response, the blond boy's hands moving quickly in his eagerness to please the pink-haired doctor. "We all like her a lot and do not want her to have to leave."

"Has she told you anything about her aunt?"

"Her aunt used to be very nice. She used to go out for ice cream and watch movies and play. Now she does not do anything with Namine. It makes Namine feel like she is invisible."

"I see. Thank you, Roxas. Tell Sora I would like to speak with him, please."

Roxas nodded and did as he was told, and less than a minute later Sora stood before the doctor, concerned blue eyes looking up at him in earnest as he answered Marluxia's questions. He said much the same thing as Roxas and Kairi.

"Are you going to make it so Namine lives with us, Doctor?" the brunet asked once he'd finished describing the things Namine had told him.

Marluxia patted his head, smiling fondly. "I'm going to try my best, Sora."

That seemed to be good enough for the boy, because he smiled and went back to the toys he'd been playing with up until Roxas fetched him. Then it was Riku's turn, and while the silver-haired boy didn't have much to say, he still knew enough to cause worry. Axel, Zexion and Demyx followed suit, until Marluxia had asked each child the same few questions. Despite not having been very close to her, even the older boys knew she didn't like leaving the Home and that she had confessed to being ignored, feeling like a burden and even being scared that she was going to get hurt and her aunt would not even notice while she was away from the Home.

It was infuriating to know that Namine felt this way and was willing to tell her friends yet Larxene appeared oblivious and did nothing to improve the situation. The number of times he was told that Namine didn't like going back with her aunt almost made Marluxia angry. What on earth gave that woman the right to neglect her niece to the point where Namine preferred Fuseiai's over her home?

_This is getting out of hand. It's time I talked to Mr. Fuseiai about this and got it taken care of._

Luckily, he didn't have to wait very long before Lexeaus arrived and took the children away to dinner—Marluxia made sure to say goodbye to them and promised he would be there to tuck them in when they went to bed in a few hours. The moment they were gone, he left the playroom and headed straight for the offices at the front of the building.

"I need to talk to Mr. Fuseiai," he told the secretary as he walked in the door. "Right away, please, Saix."

The scarred man behind the desk nodded and picked up the phone on his desk, pressing a few buttons as he held it to his ear. "Dr. Shizen is here to see you, sir. He seems upset and asked to speak to you immediately. Yes, sir." He set the phone down and pressed a different button. "Go in. He's waiting."

Marluxia didn't waste a moment before striding into the office of his employer and went straight to the large desk Xemnas Fuseiai was seated at.

"What can I do for you, Doctor?" the white-haired man asked calmly, looking up at Marluxia with unreadable golden eyes.

"I wish to begin an investigation into the abilities of Larxene Inazuma as legal guardian of Namine Kioku."

That at least got an eyebrow raise from the normally unflappable man behind the desk. "An investigation?"

"Yes. I believe Miss Inazuma to be incapable of properly caring for Namine. My intentions are to investigate her interactions with the child in order to determine whether or not she should remain legal guardian of Namine. If she is found incapable of caring for her niece, then my suggestion is that Namine be admitted to the Home as a resident."

"I see." Xemnas studied the man before him for several long moments. "You know, of course, Dr. Shizen, that I trust your judgment completely in matters concerning the children here. However, an investigation into the personal life of someone who came here of her own free will out of the desire to help a troubled child could be seen as a great insult and must be dealt with very carefully. While Namine's well-being is our first priority, we cannot ignore the fact that Miss Inazume is perfectly within her right to withdraw her niece from therapy and take legal action against the Home if she feels she is being mistreated in some way."

"Yes, sir, I am aware," Marluxia responded, trying to maintain his patience. "I have good reason to believe, however, that Miss Inazuma's decision to bring Namine here was not for the child's best interest, but for her own. I also have been told and witnessed for myself that Namine is reluctant to leave here with her aunt and is perfectly content to stay overnight for extended periods of time."

"And you believe that this is enough to launch an investigation?" Xemnas' tone clearly said that Marluxia had better have more proof that an investigation was necessary if he wanted this discussion to continue.

"That is what caught my interest in the first place. Namine has expressed a lack of attention from her aunt and by all accounts appears to be suffering neglect at the hands of her guardian."

"She told you this?"

Marluxia paused. "No, but she told the other Silents, and they passed the information onto me because they are worried about her." Well, that was more or less true.

"I'm afraid that will be reduced to hearsay in a legal setting, Doctor. You need Namine to tell you herself, and you need proper documentation of it. Recordings or videos, to be exact. Then, and only then, will I be able to authorize an investigation into Miss Inazuma's ability to perform her duties as Namine's guardian."

Disappointment struck Marluxia but he didn't argue. He knew Xemnas was right and was almost embarrassed he hadn't thought to do that before bringing the matter before his boss. This way, however, he didn't have to wait as long before the cogs began to turn, and the next time Namine came in, he would ask her himself. Even if he had to sit in private session with her from the minute she arrived up until Lexeaus came to take her back to her aunt, he would discover the truth and bring the evidence before Mr. Fuseiai. Then Namine would finally be free of the lonely place she was forced to return to at least once a weak.

"I understand, Mr. Fuseiai. Thank you for your time. I will return when I have gathered the evidence you require." Marluxia bowed respectfully and left the office, long legs quickly taking him towards his own office.

If he had to, he would call Larxene himself and set up an appointment for Namine simply to be able to gain the girl's trust enough to open up to him about her living conditions. The moment he had proof that Larxene was neglecting the blond girl, he would be back in Xemnas' office, and then Larxene would find out that there are consequences to ignoring her responsibilities.

_I won't let her get away with neglecting Namine. That child deserves better than indifference from her only living relative._


	14. Chapter 14

It had been almost a week since the last time Namine had been to the Home and seen her friends. She missed them a great deal, even Axel and Zexion and Demyx and Riku, who she still didn't know as well as she would like to. She missed Doctor Marluxia and his kind smiles, the way he signed and spoke at the same time out of courtesy to them. She even missed the Ward Father, Lexeaus, for being so kind to her every time she saw him.

_I want to go home. I don't like it here. It's too quiet and sad._

Unfortunately, Namine had no means of getting to the Home. Her aunt didn't know sign language and even if Namine wrote it down, she doubted the blond woman would bother to read it or would agree to the request. She could, of course, get out of the condo on her own. There was little point to that option because she didn't know how to get to the Home. It was probably too far for a six-year-old to walk, anyway.

Her best option was to write it down and hope Larxene was willing to pay attention to her for once.

Using the back of a page torn from one of her coloring books, Namine wrote out her request in blue crayon, trying to make her handwriting as neat as possible. It was better than it had been, thanks to her lessons at the Home. Maybe the improvement would catch her aunt's attention.

When she was satisfied with her work, the girl took her sheet of paper into the living room, where her aunt was lounging on the couch, watching TV. Namine felt a longing for the way things had been before, when she'd have run and jumped onto the couch to hug her aunt. They'd have both laughed and sat together telling jokes and silly stories. That hadn't happened in a long time, and Namine missed it.

As it was, she approached the couch with slow, quiet steps until she stood before her aunt. The woman's eyes remained fixed to the flatscreen mounted on the wall. Namine wished she could make some sound to gain her aunt's attention, but if that was possible, she would be in the situation she was now having to deal with.

Determined, she lifted her makeshift sign over her head, as high as she could, but Larxene continued to act as if the child wasn't even there. That wasn't enough for Namine to admit defeat, though. She lowered the sign and moved forward to touch her aunt's hand; the woman shifted out of her reach and Namine felt tears at the backs of her eyes.

Was her own aunt so unwilling to acknowledge her that she purposefully made it as difficult as possible to communicate?

_No, Aunt Xene wouldn't do that. She loves me. We're family. She's just tired and doesn't want to be bothered._

Even to herself, Namine didn't seem convincing. Her aunt hadn't shown any sort of positive emotions towards Namine almost the entire time they'd been living together. Only once had Larxene hugged her and tried to reassure her—when she arrived at the police station to see Namine just a few hours after the murders. Since then, she'd almost seemed to turn off her emotions, especially in regards to her niece.

"I love you," Namine signed, even though she knew her aunt wasn't paying attention and didn't understand sign language anyway. But she still signed it, needing to let her aunt know that she still cared, even if Larxene didn't. Then she crumpled up the sign she'd made and threw it in the trash before going back to her room.

_If Aunt Xene doesn't want me, I'll go where someone does._

Namine didn't allow herself to hesitate as she put on her shoes and coat and filled her backpack with clean clothes and what little travel-ready food she could find in the pantry. She made it all the way to the front door before she paused and looked back towards where she knew her aunt was still lounging. There'd been a time when even putting her shoes on would have garnered questions about what she was doing. Now, she was completely ready to take on the outside world on her own, and no one had even noticed.

Tightening her grip on the straps of her backpack, Namine opened the door and left the condo. The halls of the condo were empty seeing as it was mid-afternoon and most people were still at work. In the lobby, though, a young woman with long black hair spotted Namine and approached her.

"Hi, sweetheart, are you okay?" the stranger asked with a concerned smile as she bent down to be near eye-level with Namine.

The white-blonde girl nodded because this woman probably didn't know sign language—there was no point in explaining that she was going home.

"Are you sure?"

Another nod, then Namine started walking towards the main doors of the building.

"Hey, wait!"

Impatient but unwilling to be rude, Namine stopped again and turned to see that the woman was following her.

"Here." She was holding out a small bit of paper, which Namine accepted. Upon closer examination, she realized it was a business card. The woman smiled kindly. "If you need anything or end up in some kind of trouble, call that number and ask for Tifa. Okay?"

Namine smiled gratefully and nodded for a third time. It always surprised her how kind some people were while others could be so cruel. The woman watched as Namine left the building and started off down the sidewalk in the direction Larxene drove in whenever they were going to the Home. At least, she hoped it was the right way.

Contrary to inside, there were countless people going this way and that outside, making it difficult for Namine to tell what direction she was walking in. She had to put more focus into not running into someone than she would have liked to—she knew she needed to try to recognize as many landmarks as possible if she wasn't just going to get lost, but the other people were so much taller than her that it was almost impossible to see anything else. Still, she was not prepared to give up so easily.

XXX

The phone on Marluxia's desk rang and everything stopped. Children and doctor stared at the object in surprise, waiting to see if it would ring again. That phone rarely did anything more than sit there, lifeless save for the glowing of the numbers and the little lights that went on and off to let Doctor Marluxia know if someone was using one of the other lines. He'd never made a call on it—preferring to use the one in his office—and if anyone needed anything, they usually came by to see the children and talk to him.

But it rang again, almost insistently, so the pink-haired man got up from where he'd been playing with Axel and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Come to the office right away. It's an emergency."

Marluxia knew better than to repeat the E Word in front of the children. It would only upset them and make whatever emergency was taking place that much worse. "Send Lexeaus to watch the children."

"He's already on his way."

As if on cue, the door opened and Lexeaus stepped inside. He and Marluxia locked gazes and nodded to each other before Marluxia hung up the phone and was on his way out of the room without any sort of explanation to the children that were watching him worriedly.

Countless panicked thoughts ran through his head as he power-walked towards the office. What could have gone wrong? Was someone hurt? If it was an emergency big enough to call him away from the Silents, it had to be serious.

"What? What happened?" he asked the moment he entered the office, nearly breathless. Wordlessly, Saix held out a phone, which Marluxia took with shaking hands.

"This is Doctor Marluxia Shizen." He tried not to sound as worried as he felt.

"Dr. Shizen, this is Officer Tidus."

_No._ Marluxia's grip on the phone tightened until it creaked in protest. "What can I do for you, officer?"

"We have a little girl here accompanied by a woman and you were the person she wanted us to contact about her."

Little girl? "I'll be right there." He didn't wait for Officer Tidus to give him the station's address—there was only one it could be—and he was out the door before Saix had a chance to ask what had happened.

Marluxia's hands were shaking so badly he almost dropped his car keys when he tried to unlock the door, and his knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel so tightly as he drove; it took everything he had not to go as fast as his car was able to.

Namine was at the police station. Why? What happened? Was Larxene the woman who was with her? No, it couldn't be. If it was Larxene, she'd have just taken Namine home or brought her to Fuseiai's herself. It had to be someone else.

"_Why_ is Namine in a police station?" the doctor demanded under his breath. It had to be a nightmare for her to be there; this was the first time she'd been in one since her parents were killed.

The moment he pulled into the station's parking lot, Marluxia all but jumped out of his, barely taking the time to throw it into park and shut it off first. He took the stairs in bounding leaps and yanked the door open to burst into the lobby.

"Namine!"

Blue-violet eyes searched desperately until he saw a flash of white-blonde hair moving towards him. He ran, arms outstretched, and scooped Namine into his arms the moment she was within reach, holding her close and almost crying out of relief that she at least appeared unharmed. The child clung to him, face buried in his shoulder

"Namine, are you all right? What happened?" he asked quietly, rubbing her back in a soothing manner. She didn't loosen her grip on him, which wasn't a surprise, so he decided to go to the next best source of information. Moving in the direction Namine had come from, he began searching for the woman who had supposedly accompanied Namine to the station.

A woman stood as he approached, smoothing her clothes as she did so, and offered her hand with a smile. "Dr. Shizen, my name is Tifa. It's nice to meet you."

Marluxia shook her hand, still holding the child. "Thank you for helping Namine."

"It was my pleasure. She's a sweet little girl."

"Yes," a fond smile took over the doctor's expression and he stroked Namine's white-blonde hair, "she is."

"Are you her father?"

The question made him chuckle a little bit—did he really seem that attached to her? "Her therapist. Namine is a patient at Fuseiai's Home for Troubled Youths. She's one of several children I'm in charge of, though she lives with her aunt."

"Oh, I see." Tifa looked at Namine as if trying to figure out why she would be a patient at the Home. "Is she all right?"

Marluxia smiled at her concern. "Yes, it seems so. Just shaken up, though I'll be sure to give her a full examination once I get her to the Home and contact her aunt."

Nodding, Tifa handed the doctor a second business card, this one with a different phone number hand-written on the back. "I saw her leaving the condo complex where I live and gave her my card so she could call me if she needed help. I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know that she's okay."

"Of course. Thank you again for helping her contact me."

The two said their goodbyes and, after he'd talked with the police who had been in charge of calling him, he left the station with Namine still held safely in his arms. Only once he'd gotten her buckled into the back seat of his car and started driving back towards the Home did he take a deep, steadying breath.

"Namine." He glanced at her in the review mirror to make sure she was paying attention. "When we get back, I'll need you to tell me exactly what happened today and why you were at the police station, okay?"

The girl nodded her understanding then went back to looking out the window, silent and still as always. Marluxia had been hoping for a little bit more of a response than that, but he didn't push it. Hopefully, the story of what had happened wouldn't be anything extreme. He did, however, hope that it would aid him in proving to Mr. Fuseiai that Namine wasn't safe with Larxene and needed to be placed under custody of the Home.

If her leaving the condo on her own, getting lost and ending up at the police station to be picked up by her therapies wasn't enough proof, he didn't know what more he would be able to let happen. This incident was already too much for him—anything worse would destroy him, especially if Namine got hurt. The Silents were his family, the closest thing after Luxord, and he wasn't going to sit by and let Larxene neglect Namine if he could do something to stop it.


	15. Chapter 15

Kairi woke up the moment her bed was touched. Rolling over, she encountered a body settling beside her, though she couldn't tell who it was in the darkness.

"Namine's here, Kairi," whispered a voice the redhead recognized as Doctor Marluxia's. "She'll be staying here for a while."

Concerned that something bad had happened to cause Namine to arrive in the middle of the night but pleased to see her nonetheless, Kairi nodded and snuggled against the blonde girl. She'd missed her friend and wasn't about to complain.

Smiling, Marluxia placed a kiss on each girls' forehead. "Good night." Then he quietly left the room, yawning as he walked down the hall.

It really wasn't that late, but he was usually home and getting ready for bed by now. His discussion with Namine had taken longer than he'd been expecting, and of course he'd gone straight to Mr. Fuseiai afterwards to ask for a second time that Larxene be investigated. Xemnas had then wanted to talk to Namine for himself, and that had taken a few hours on top of the time Marluxia had spent with the blonde. After hearing Namine's story about how she ended up at the police station, he'd agreed to make the necessary arrangements for her to be placed in the Home during the investigation. Then Marluxia had gotten her new clothes to wear from the Home's supplies and tucked her into bed. After everything that had happened that day, he really hoped Luxord had gotten home on time that night—he didn't feel like falling asleep on his own.

Unfortunately, the lights were off and the door was locked when he got there, which meant his lawyer was still at work. Sighing, Marluxia let himself into their house and made his way to the fridge in search of dinner. Nothing looked even remotely appealing. He didn't want his usual healthy foods. It had been a long day, he was tired and wanted to go to sleep but he was determined to stay up and wait for Luxord to get home. He wanted something sugary and bad for him, the kind of food he usually didn't even glance at while shopping for groceries. It was time to break into Luxord's "Secret Stash" that wasn't as secret as the blond man thought it was.

Marluxia opened the door to the basement and stared down into the dark hole-like stairwell—he turned the light on before stepping onto the first wooden stair to avoid the shadows—and quietly made his way down. The floor was gray concrete, the walls nothing but insulation stuffed between the boards. A few light bulbs hung from the ceiling without any sort of protection at all. It always made Marluxia uncomfortable to be in the basement by himself, since it was unfinished and always much colder than he liked. During the day, it wasn't so bad because sunlight came in through the small windows near the ceiling, but he almost always forced Luxord to go with him at night.

This being the case, he moved silently but quickly to where the deep freeze he used to store large quantities of perishable foods such as chickens and big bags of frozen vegetables sat in the corner, white and humming in the otherwise gloomy basement. Buried beneath the food Marluxia himself had placed in the freezer and tucked into a corner was a large tub of Neapolitan ice cream that Luxord had attempted to hide. Marluxia knew that his partner had a sweet tooth and that his healthy recipes didn't always do it for the blond, so he hadn't said or done anything about the ice cream. He was glad about that, now.

Grabbing the tub by its plastic handle, the doctor yanked until it came free of the packed-full freezer then hauled it upstairs; he didn't turn the basement light off again until he was clear of the stairs, and made sure to shut the door quickly behind him. Then he grabbed two spoons from the silverware drawer in the kitchen and wandered into the living room. Maybe there was a movie on TV tonight that he could lose himself in until Luxord got home. If not, then he'd just put in a DVD and do the same thing.

Three hours later, Marluxia heard the front door open then close but didn't bother to lift his head from where it rested on the arm rest of the couch. He'd long since put the tub of ice cream in the freezer above the fridge in the kitchen, and the spoons were set on the coffee table as he stared at the moving pictures on the TV screen. The sound was turned down so low he could barely hear it, and he was more asleep than awake at this point. Still, he smiled when lips brushed against his temple and lifted his gaze to his lover's face.

"Hey…"

Luxord smiled at the mostly-asleep man on the couch. "What are doing awake at this hour? It's almost two in the morning."

Registering the blond man's words but not actually caring, Marluxia shrugged and turned onto his back, yawning. The ice cream he'd eaten made him feel sluggish and he was sure his stomach was protruding in an unattractive way since he made absolutely no effort to keep his shirt down and was twisted about a bit.

"Why are there spoons on the coffee table?"

The pink-haired man giggled uncharacteristically and flung his arm back to point in the general direction of the kitchen. "Freezer…" He received a concerned glance from his lover before Luxord went back to the kitchen to look in the freezer and discovered that his "secret" ice cream had been found and that some had been eaten.

"Uh, Marluxia, I think it's time we got you to bed," the doctor heard him call from the other room.

"Why?" Marluxia whined, frowning at the ceiling. He wasn't _that_ sleepy, and he was happy to see Luxord. He felt _good—_maybe he needed to have ice cream more often.

Ice blue eyes appeared above him and he blushed lightly when the taller man kissed his nose. "Because it's late and you're going to feel awful in the morning if you don't get enough sleep. Come on, up you go." Deceptively strong arms wormed their way under Marluxia's body and he was lifted off the couch, held close to Luxord's chest as he was carried up the stairs to their bedroom. He was content to lie still in the other man's arms until he was placed on his side of their bed, at which point he grabbed onto Luxord's shirt and pulled the blond into a kiss.

"Lux…"

The blond man recognized that tone immediately. He wanted it, too, but he was worried. "Love, you need your rest."

"I need you." The words hung in the air between them as Luxord battled with himself. Finally, the blond sighed.

"All right, but only once. Then you have to go to sleep."

Smiling, Marluxia nodded then kissed the blond again, arms snaking around the taller man's neck. Luxord allowed himself to be pulled closer without complaint, though in the back of his mind, he knew he was going to be in trouble for this in morning.

XXX

Stumbling footsteps reached Luxord as he sat at the kitchen table, eating his usual breakfast of Raisin Bran with wheat toast and homemade rhubarb jelly with a glass of orange juice, and he looked up in time to see Marluxia slowly making his way down the stairs.

"How's your head?"

Blue-violet eyes glared at him and he chuckled quietly.

"What on earth did you put in that ice cream?" the doctor demanded, holding his head and squinting against the kitchen lights.

"Rum Chata in the brown, strawberry margarita in the pink and some flavored vodka in the white. How much did you eat?"

Marluxia collapsed in his chair and rested his forehead on the table with a heavy sigh. "Too much."

"I'm surprised you didn't notice the flavor was a little off and stop eating after a couple bites."

"I don't know what it was supposed to taste like—you know I don't eat ice cream."

A grin spread across Luxord's face. "But you do get drunk off spiked ice cream."

"Shut up," the doctor grumbled. He didn't remember much of last night, but he knew he'd made a fool of himself by eating the lawyer's "special ice cream" and thus losing control of himself. It was just lucky that he was a quiet drunk and hadn't done anything stupid.

"If it's any consolation, last night was good."

"Shut up, or I'm going to slap you so hard you won't be able to work a case for a month," Marluxia threatened, his face burning with embarrassment—so that part hadn't been a dream. "Why did you agree if you knew I was drunk?"

Luxord shrugged and took another bite of his toast. "Have I ever been able to say no to you, love?"

That, at least, made the pink-haired man smile through his hangover. "No, I suppose not."

"Besides, neither of us had work today and you're such a prude that I have to take every opportunity I get," the lawyer teased, and Marluxia reached across the table to smack his arm half-heartedly.

"I am not a prude!"

Smirking, Luxord put his now empty dishes in the sink and moved to stand behind the doctor. He slid his hands down the other man's back as he leaned down to whisper in Marluxia's ear. "Prove it."

Marluxia didn't try to stop the small shiver that raced down his spine at the blond's challenge. "Only if you make me forget this awful headache."

"I can do that."

XXX

Guilt the likes of which she'd never felt before was eating away at Namine's insides. She'd ran away from home and gotten her aunt in trouble. Doctor Marluxia had to come all the way to the police station to get her, which meant she'd made him leave his job and worried him. That hadn't been what she'd wanted. She didn't want to bother or worry anyone or cause trouble for her aunt. All she'd wanted was to be back at the Home with her friends, and even though she'd gotten what she wanted and was currently sitting beside Kairi in the cafeteria, having breakfast, she could hardly eat a single bite.

What was going to happen to her aunt, now that Namine was staying at the Home?

_She won't care. She didn't want me._

Thinking that way about Larxene made her feel even worse; she wanted to believe that her aunt cared and loved her just like she did before, but she knew the way her aunt behaved showed otherwise.

_This is home now,_ she told herself in an attempt to make the guilt go away._ Kairi and Roxas and Sora and Riku and Axel and Demyx and Zexion and Doctor Marluxia are my family. It's better here than at the condo. I'm happy here. I'm glad I ran away and that Doctor came to get me._

All of that was true. Still, she partially wished she hadn't agreed to testify against her aunt during the investigation. If she did, then Larxene would lose custody of her and really would be all alone, and Namine didn't think that was fair. Larxene was sad about losing her sister just like Namine was about losing her mom. Neither of them deserved to be left all alone, yet Namine was helping to do just that to her aunt.

_Maybe she will get someone to help her be less sad, someone like Doctor Marluxia. He helped me feel better—I'm happy now and I wasn't before. Aunt Xene needs someone like him to make her happy again._

She told herself to remember to ask the doctor about it when he returned to the Home on Monday. If anyone could help Larxene, she was sure Marluxia could. The man was capable of helping anyone and Namine didn't want to testify if it meant her aunt would just get in a lot of trouble without getting better. That wasn't the point of all this. The point of the Home was so things would get better, and Namine wanted things to get better for everyone, not just herself. Her aunt deserved to be happy just as much as anyone else.


	16. Chapter 16

How _dare_ they! The nerve of them, and of _her_! Who did they think they were, coming to her home and accusing her of such things! She would not stand for this!

Fists clenched at her sides, Larxene strode down the hall of the Home, glaring for all she was worth. Her gaze moved from side to side as she looked at the door labels and the smalls signs that told her what rooms were in what direction. Turning on her heel, she followed the arrow labeled "Playroom."

Despite how upset she was, her hair, makeup and clothes were perfect, as they always were when she left her condo for any reason, even to pick up milk from the corner store. This errand was a great deal more important than milk. That pink-haired doctor though he could just waltz right in and make her look like a common criminal and ruin her reputation? Well, he had another thing coming to him. Larxene was _furious._

Finally, she found the door she'd been looking for and wrenched it open. "Doctor Shizen!"

Everyone in the playroom froze in shock for a moment; Roxas covered his ears with his hands and cowered behind Sora. Kairi immediately put herself in front of Namine in a protective stance, her face scrunched up as she frowned at the woman who had invaded their peaceful world. Even Riku had been startled enough by the sudden shout that he'd grabbed onto Sora's sleeve and refused to let go. Demyx looked like he might start crying while Axel and Zexion were angry but still trying to calm the blond down. The only person who had yet to react was Doctor Marluxia himself.

Seated at his desk, the pink-haired man was still looking over the form he'd been filling out before the door had burst open and his name been yelled. It was a form that would make Namine a legal ward of the state and live at the Home during the trial and perhaps longer, depending on the outcome, and he considered it more important than the angry woman in the doorway.

"Don't you dare ignore me, Doctor! I know it was you! I know you're the reason there were _police detectives_ at my home this morning! They refused to tell me what exactly they were investigating, but I _know_ that you had something to do with it!" Larxene accused, marching up to his desk, her hands on her hips. He still didn't look at her, and she had the urge to slap him but she resisted due to all the eyes she could feel practically burning into her back. "Look at me, Doctor! I want you to explain just who you think you are!"

Marluxia sighed and closed his eyes, his grip on his pen relaxed. Slowly, he set it down then stood, hands braced on his desk, and looked Larxene straight in the eye. "I think that's quite enough, Miss Inazuma. If you're going to raise your voice, I must ask that you not do it in front of the children. We can go to my office if you wish to speak to me."

"Don't act all high and mighty with me, Doctor," Larxene sneered, eyes narrowing. "Just tell me what the detectives wanted."

"If they wouldn't tell you, Miss Inazuma, then I hardly think I'm allowed to give you that information."

"Tell me!" the woman all but screamed, Marluxia's calm tone upsetting her even further. "I want to know what you told them I did!"

Blue-violet eyes narrowed but the doctor gave no other sign that he was displeased by Larxene's lack of decency. "Very well. They were investigating you because I intend to put you on trial for willful neglect of your niece."

Larxene looked stunned. "You…what?"

"I'm taking Namine away from you, Miss Inazuma, because you are incapable of properly caring for her."

A look very much like fear came into the blonde woman's eyes. "No." Whirling around, she spotted where Namine was still being shielded by Kairi and quickly walked up to them. "Out of my way, girl," she snapped at Kairi.

Her blue eyes shining with determination, Kairi shook her head and reached back to hold Namine's hand.

"I said _get out of my way._" Larxene reached out as if she meant to physically remove Kairi, and suddenly a hand wrapped around her wrist, stopping her. She looked up and found herself face-to-face with Doctor Marluxia and paled at the rage trapped behind his calm façade.

"You will not touch any of these children, Miss Inazuma, or I will remove you from the premises myself," he threatened quietly. Suddenly, he didn't look so mild-mannered and sophisticated. He looked like a lion defending his cubs, and it was all Larxene could do to wrench out of his grip and straighten to her full height—even in her high heels, she was only as tall as he was.

"I am taking my niece home with me," she declared, reaching around Kairi and grabbing hold of Namine's arm. Before the redhead could stop her, she pulled the blonde away and was dragging her towards the door.

Namine struggled for all she was worth, yanking against her aunt's vice-like grip and trying desperately to pry away the fingers that were bruising her arm. She looked so delicate, almost like a little doll, that Marluxia started to follow Larxene with the intent of stopping her from taking Namine. The woman was obviously too angry to think clearly and didn't care if she hurt Namine or not, as long as she got what she wanted.

"Miss Inazuma—"

"I don't want to hear anything else you have to say, Doctor!" Larxene snapped, pausing to yank the door open. As she walked through, Namine grabbed onto the door frame with her free hand and refused to let go. "Enough, Namine! You're coming home with me and that's final!"

The child shook her head, her nails digging into the wood.

With a forceful yank, Larxene ripped her niece away from the door and continued down the hall as Marluxia followed her and the other children trailed along behind him.

"Papa!"

Everything stopped. Larxene stood frozen in the middle of the hall, her eyes wide in disbelief—she looked down at her niece. "What did you…?"

Still struggling, Namine managed to break free of the woman's hold and ran back to Marluxia, tears streaming down her pale face. "Papa! I don't want to go!"

Astonished, the man dropped to his knees and hugged Namine when she collided with him, her face burying itself in his shirt as she cried. To his horror, he noticed that her hand was bleeding from when Larxene yanked her away from the door. "It's all right, Namine," he soothed, even though he himself was feeling rather shaken up by everything that had happened since Larxene arrived. "I won't let her take you away." Standing, he held Namine close to himself and glared at Larxene. "There's your proof, Miss Inazuma. Namine is staying here where she's safe."

Larxene didn't appear to register what he'd said. "She…she called you 'Papa'…why…? Why does she love you…more than me…?"

Even though Marluxia recognized the hurt and shock in the blonde woman's face, he felt no pity for her; she brought this upon herself. "Because I've been here for her when you weren't, Miss Inazuma. It's as simple as that. This is her home now, and we're her family."

"You're not her family! I'm the only family she has left! Her father is dead! My sister and her husband are _dead!_" Larxene screamed, on the verge of bursting into tears.

"And you have done nothing to help her cope with that loss!" Marluxia almost shouted it, but didn't so as not to hurt Namine's ears. "You wallowed in your own misery instead of helping the child that was depending on you for love and comfort, and _that_ is why you are under investigation! _That_ is why Namine has chosen this place and me over you!"

His words seemed to shatter something within Larxene. The woman stared at him, face contorted in pain as her lip quivered; tears were gathering under her eyes and then rolling down her cheeks.

"You can't do this," she whispered brokenly. "You can't. She's all I have. You can't take her away from me."

"Yes, I can," Marluxia replied, his tone gentle. "You need help, Miss Inazuma. I understand that you still love Namine, but until you're well again and can take care of yourself and your niece, I'm afraid I can't let you take her."

Larxene whimpered, her makeup tracking down her cheeks from the number of tears that were escaping. "Namine. Namine, come home. Please. I promise things will be better. We can play with your toys and go for walks, and get ice cream, just like we used to. Please."

Tearful blue eyes turned on the woman and Namine and Larxene looked at each other, a continuous stream of mumbled promises and pleas coming from the older of the two blondes. Slowly, Namine shook her head. She knew better than to believe what Larxene was saying. Those same promises had been made to her the first night she'd gone to stay with her aunt, but they'd only lasted for a few days, and then it had been as if Namine no longer existed. She wasn't willing to do it again.

"I want to stay with Papa," she said quietly, the words seeming odd in her mouth. It had been so long since she'd used her voice that she sounded strange to herself, but she knew the habit of talking would come back to her over time.

"I…I guess…I understand…" Wiping at her eyes, Larxene sniffed quietly and took deep breaths until she'd gotten herself back under control. She smiled weakly. "I guess I'll see you at the trial, huh, kiddo?"

Nodding, Namine waved to her aunt. "Bye, Aunt Xene. I love you."

"I love you, too, Namine." Then she turned and was gone, disappearing down the hall and leaving Marluxia and the children in silence.

Slowly, the doctor returned to the playroom, Namine still in his arms as the Silents followed him. As soon as they got back into the room, they took their places in the circle and waited expectantly for Marluxia to explain to them what was going on. The doctor smiled at them.

"Thank you all for being so patient and behaving yourselves. Namine's hand is hurt, so I'm taking her to see Lexeaus. Kairi, you're in charge until I get back."

The redhead nodded, and Marluxia left with Namine.

"Papa," she said quietly, and he looked at her curiously.

"Yes, Namine?"

"Do I have to go with other kids since I talk now?" The words were clumsy and she didn't pronounce all of them right, but he could still understand what she was asking.

"No, you don't. You'll get to stay with me until you can talk as well as other children your age," he assured her, and she nodded.

"Good."

They reached the door Lexeaus' office and Marluxia nodded. Only a moment later, the door opened to reveal the brown-haired Ward Father, and he smiled.

"Hi there, Namine. What brings you here?"

Namine held up her bleeding hand to show him. "Hurts."

Lexeaus' eyes widened to hear her speak, but he ignored it for now in favor of examining her hand. "I think I can patch that right up for you. Come on." He led Marluxia to a door at the back of his office and opened it to let them into a small, sterile room that was set up to take care of minor injuries. Marluxia sat Namine on the examining table and stepped out of the way so Lexeaus could work.

"So, that's a pretty voice you have, Namine," the Ward Father complimented her as he began cleaning her hand, trying to distract her from the sting of the disinfectant.

"Thank you," she replied shyly, her pale cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

"You're very welcome." Once he'd gotten the blood and bits of wood out of the scrapes and cuts on Namine's hand, he smeared a bit of healing salve over the wounds before covering them in bandages. "There, you'll be right as rain in a few days."

Namine smiled at him. "Thank you," she said again, with more confidence and stronger enunciation this time. Grinning, Lexeaus helped her down off the table then cast a curious glance at the doctor—they shared a look as Marluxia silently promised to tell him everything later. For now, he had more important matters to attend to.

"All right, Namine, let's head back to the playroom."

Nodding, the blonde girl reached up with her undamaged hand and grabbed onto his. "Okay, Papa."

The doctor smiled fondly and led her out of Lexeaus' office. Things were certainly taking an unexpected turn.


	17. Chapter 17

A gentle hand settled on his shoulder and squeezed lightly, but Marluxia didn't turn away from the window. Buildings passed by in a blur before his unfocused eyes. Dark bags sat under them despite the fact that he'd gone to bed early the night before. He just hadn't been able to sleep. Even with Luxord there, he'd tossed and turned all night, falling asleep only to wake up again and snatch his phone off the nightstand to check for missed calls or texts. It had been one of the worst nights of his life.

"Hey," the usually sarcastic voice was soft, "are you okay? You look like you might be sick."

Sighing, Marluxia turned to look at the blond in the driver's seat and offered a weak smile. "Just tired."

Luxord turned concerned eyes on the doctor. "You sure you can do this? I know it's important for you to be there, but I can win this case without your testimony. It's an open and shut case of neglect and the aunt'll be ordered to start therapy to cope with her grief in a healthy way. If it's going to be too much for you, I'll just tell the judge you fell ill due to the stress and that you couldn't make it."

"No." Marluxia straightened in the passenger's side seat and took a deep breath to steady himself. "I'm fine. I need to be there to testify, and to help the children. I can't expect Namine to go through this without me. I promised her that I'd be there."

The blond smiled fondly and squeezed Marluxia's shoulder again. "All right, Mar." He paused as he slowed the car and turned into the parking lot of the courthouse. Most of the spaces were still empty, seeing as the trial wouldn't start for a few hours yet. As usual, Luxord had wanted to arrive early so he could familiarize himself with the courtroom. Marluxia had rode along so he wouldn't have to drive himself.

As soon as the car was parked and shut off, both men unbuckled their seatbelts and stepped out of the vehicle into the slightly chilly morning air. Marluxia shivered despite his coat, though he knew it wasn't the cold that made him tense and pull the fabric tighter around himself. He was nervous. What if the judge didn't see that Larxene wasn't capable of caring for Namine? What if he ordered that the blonde be returned to that condo, only to run away again and maybe be kidnapped or end up lost and alone and starve? The possibilities terrified him.

"Mar." Strong arms wrapped around him and the doctor allowed himself to be pulled into a hug, pressing his face into Luxord's shoulder. "It's gonna be fine, Mar. We have all the evidence we need. Namine will testify and then she'll be safe at the Home with you and the other children."

"I'm scared," the pink-haired man whispered, and the arms tightened comfortingly. "Even if we win the trial…Larxene might want Namine back after she goes through therapy…but I don't think Namine would want to go back. She probably won't be able to trust that woman ever again. She deserves better."

It was quiet for a moment as Luxord considered the shorter male's words, then he smiled slightly and stroked Marluxia's hair. "I'll tell you what," he said quietly, "if we win this case, then we'll adopt Namine and she'll be safe from that woman for the rest of her life."

Shocked, Marluxia pulled back but not out of Luxord's arms. He met the other's gaze and held it, convinced that the blond was only saying it to make him feel better, but there was no waver in the lawyer's blue eyes, no hesitance in his expression or body language. And, despite the fact that he was a lawyer and lawyers had bad reputations as liars, he'd never once been dishonest with Marluxia. When he said they could adopt Namine, he meant it.

"You really mean that?" Marluxia murmured, and the taller man nodded.

"I mean it. I love you, Mar, and you love that kid as much as any parent would. When this case is over and she's become a ward of the state, we'll wait a few months for things to settle down, then we'll adopt her." Leaning down, he pressed his forehead against the doctor's and smiled. "We can't start our own family. This is the next best thing."

Marluxia returned the smile, feeling safe and reassured in Luxord's embrace. "I love you, too."

Then, hand-in-hand, the two men entered the courthouse and prepared themselves for the trial.

XXX

Trembling, Namine sat in one of the front rows, just behind the table where the blond man sat at his table. She liked the blond man. He had a nice smile, and he and the doctor were friends—she'd seen them talking, and the blond man had put his hand on Marluxia's back. If the doctor liked him, then so did Namine. He was in charge of proving that Larxene shouldn't be allowed to keep Namine. This was a very important day, but Namine was nervous and scared. What if the blond man didn't prove that Larxene didn't take good care of her? What if she had to go back to the condo? She didn't want to go back. She hated it there.

"Namine," a soft voice whispered, and she looked up into Doctor Marluxia's eyes as the man smiled gently, "don't be nervous. All you have to do is tell the truth when they ask you questions. You can do this."

"What if I can't talk right?" she whispered back, nervous. Even though she'd said her first few words almost a month ago and had been practicing almost nonstop since, she still stumbled sometimes and she didn't want to mess up a word and end up ruining the whole case.

Marluxia smiled. "You'll do fine. You're doing a great job with talking, Namine. Besides, if you mess up, no one will mind because they know you couldn't talk for a long time. They already talked about that, so you don't have to worry about it."

Namine nodded and turned to the front again to see that her aunt was now sitting in the box by the judge. The blond man got up and stood in front of her, asking her questions. He sounded very patient and even friendly, but Larxene looked nervous. Even a little scared. That bothered Namine—she didn't want her aunt to be scared or sad anymore. But they had to prove that she was bad at being a guardian, or she'd keep being sad like before.

_This is important,_ Namine told herself. _After this, Aunt Xene will get better, and I'll get to stay at the Home with Kairi and the others._

Turning on the bench, the blonde looked to the back of the room where she could see the Ward Father, Lexeaus, sitting at the end of one of the rows. Beside him, she could just see the tops of several heads. Neatly combed silver hair next to brown spikes then blond, then red spikes beside sleek blue hair, and smaller blond spikes next to shiny pinkish red. Her friends had come to support her as she testified against her aunt, and knowing that they were there made her feel a little bit better.

"Namine." Doctor Marluxia caught her attention and she turned back to the front to see several people looking at her. Larxene had moved back to the table that was opposite the blond man's.

"It's your turn to testify, sweetheart," Marluxia explained, and she nodded despite the cold fear that settled in her stomach. "Just tell the truth. You'll do fine." Standing, he took her hand into one of his own and led her out of the benches and through the small gate to the open area in front of the tables. The judge looked down at her with a kind smile and she offered a shy wave before Marluxia guided her into the box and she sat, barely tall enough to see over the edge. A thick cushion was brought out for her to sit on so she could see properly, then Marluxia smiled encouragingly before he returned to his seat amongst the other spectators.

The blond man stepped forward and smiled at her. "Hello, Namine."

"Hi," she replied softly, returning his smile.

"My name's Luxord, Namine. Do you know what my job is?" he asked, and even though it was a simple question, she didn't feel patronized or like he thought she wasn't smart.

"Yes. You do trials. You're Papa's friend."

Luxord turned to look at Doctor Marluxia and smiled slightly. "Yes, I've known Dr. Shizen for quite a while. Do you like him?" He turned pale eyes on her once again and she nodded.

"I love Papa," she replied, her smile widening at the announcement that she clearly saw the doctor as family.

"How old are you, Namine?"

"Six."

"And how old were you when you lost your parents."

"I was five."

"It's been over a year since Namine's parents were murdered," Luxord said, loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear as he turned and faced the spectators. "Larxene Inazuma, her aunt, became her legal guardian. Namine was a mute for thirteen months, and for less than three of those months, did she attend therapy for children like herself. The fact that she's talking now, and so well, is just short of a miracle." He turned again and pointed to where Larxene was sitting. "Can you tell me who that woman is, Namine?"

"Aunt Xene."

She didn't look at her aunt, knowing that if she did, she would start crying or her aunt would cry and then everything would be ruined. She had to stay calm for this to work. This was the only way to make things better.

"Can you tell me about her?"

Namine nodded. "Aunt Xene makes clothes. She's very good at it."

Luxord smiled encouragingly. "Did you live with your aunt after your parents died?"

"Yes."

"And were you happy with her?"

Hesitating, the blonde lowered her gaze and fiddled with the hem of her dress—it was her best one, a pretty white lace over blue that matched her eyes almost perfectly. "It was okay for a while. Then Aunt Xene got really sad. She didn't talk to me anymore."

"Did she tuck you in at night?"

"No."

"Did she offer to play with you?"

"No."

"What about eating? She's a grown woman—what sort of food did she have around the house that you liked?"

"I made food for myself."

"She didn't cook for you?" the lawyer asked, raising an eyebrow as he turned to look at Larxene. "But you're a little girl and she's a grownup. Grownups are supposed to do the cooking, right?"

"She cooked for herself. I made my food when I got hungry," Namine explained, eyes still lowered. "I didn't want to bother her."

"But she's your aunt. If you're hungry, it's her job to make sure you get something to eat. How did you feel while you lived with her, Namine? Were you happy? Lonely? Sad?" He'd begun a slow pacing, gaze drifting between Namine, the judge, Larxene, and the jury then back to Namine to begin again.

"Objection," the man sitting beside Larxene, her lawyer, said loudly as he stood. "Your Honor, he's leading the witness."

Luxord turned to the judge. "I'll rephrase the question, your Honor." Then he turned back to Namine and smiled kindly. "Namine, could you tell me how you felt when you lived with your aunt?"

"I thought she didn't want me," Namine said quietly, making Luxord and the judge lean closer to hear.

"Unwanted," Luxord repeated so the jury could hear.

"She didn't look at me or talk to me. I tried to talk to her. She ignored me."

"Ignored. What did you do about it, Namine?"

Gathering her courage, Namine lifted her chin and looked directly at her aunt. "I went home," she said, speaking as loud as she could without yelling. "I went home to Papa and my friends. They wanted me. Aunt Xene didn't."

"The jury should note that Namine turned up at the police station on 47th and Kirkland at approximately 1pm on September 9th," Luxord stated calmly. "The station is over three miles from Larxene Inazuma's condo, where Namine was last seen before Dr. Shizen picked her up from the station and took her to Fuseiai's Home for Troubled Youths, where she has stayed since. Luckily, a stranger was kind enough to help Namine call the Home in order to inform the doctor of where she was. Namine was supposed to be at home with her aunt." He turned to Namine and spoke softer but still loud enough for the jury and judge to hear. "Why were you at the police station, Namine?"

"I was trying to go home. I missed Papa, but Aunt Xene wouldn't take me back. I tried to ask. I made a sign, but she pretended I wasn't there. I tried to go by myself."

"So, a mute six-year-old girl leaves her aunt's apartment and wanders on her own in the city until a stranger takes her to the police station, and Dr. Shizen is forced to leave work in order to pick her up. Namine didn't call her aunt. She called her therapist. Why? Because she had already tried communicating her needs with her legal guardian and found that Larxene Inazuma was incapable of properly caring for her.

"That woman," he pointed at Larxene, "has been responsible for the care of this child for over a year. She does not know sign language. She made no attempts to learn even while Namine was first learning or afterwards and has made no efforts since. She is incapable of effectively communicating with the child she is supposed to care for. Namine's attempts at communicating by methods other than sign language were ignored. The one thing that Larxene Inazuma has done that was for the best interest of Namine Kioku was start sending her to therapy at Fuseiai's Home. And Namine herself has just told us that she felt more welcome and happy at the Home than she did with her own family."

He turned to Namine, his expression serious. "Namine, would you rather live with your aunt, or live at Fuseiai's Home?"

Namine turned her gaze to where Larxene sat beside her lawyer. The woman was staring at the table in front of her, her shoulders shaking slightly as if she was crying or trying not to. Namine's gaze slid over to see Marluxia smiling at her from the front row, then back to see Lexeaus and Riku and Sora and Roxas and Axel and Zexion and Demyx and Kairi all looking up at her. Smiling. Happy to see her. Wanting her to come back to the Home with them. They were family.

"I want to go home," she told Luxord. "I want to go home with Papa and my sister and brothers."

Author's Note:

I'm terribly sorry if this chapter didn't come out the way it was meant to. I've never had to write a trial scene before, but I did my best. Only a few chapters to go! Who wants to guess what happens at the end of the trial? :D

Don't forget to check out my Facebook page for sneak peeks and updates on this and my other stories! Thanks for reading!

-Snow


	18. Chapter 18

What on earth was taking so long?

His patience wearing thin, Marluxia paced back and forth, back and forth outside the doors to the courtroom. Nerves made him chew on his lower lip and he kept casting anxious glances at the clock on the wall. The jury had been deliberating in the privacy of a back room for over half an hour. It was making Marluxia worry—wasn't this case supposed to be easy to win?

Hands on his shoulders forced the doctor to cease his pacing, though he continued to fidget and abuse his almost-torn lip.

"Mar, relax," Luxord commanded gently. "Worrying yourself sick isn't going to change anything, all right? Everything will be fine."

Marluxia looked up into the lawyer's eyes, obviously still troubled. "What if they vote not-guilty? What if Namine has to go back to that condo? She could regress and stop talking again. She could run away again. She could get hurt or sick or..or…"

One of the hands shifted from his shoulder to his back and Marluxia found himself pulled into a hug as gentle fingers combed through his hair. "Stop that. You're worrying about nothing. We'll win the case and Namine will be safe. All right?"

Slowly, the doctor relaxed into the embrace and let out a sigh. "All right."

"Say it like you mean it, Doctor Shizen."

"Lux…"

The blond's only response was to hug him just a little tighter, his hand still following that same path from the top of his head through his hair to the back of his neck. It was such a soothing gesture that Marluxia couldn't help but give in and let go of his worries.

"All right, Luxord."

"What's going to happen when we go back into that courtroom?" Luxord asked quietly, hand falling still on the back of Marluxia's head.

Marluxia wrapped his arms loosely around the other man's midsection. "The jury will announce Larxene as guilty."

"And then what?"

"We'll take Namine home and be a family." Just the thought made him feel better.

Luxord smiled. "That's right. Now, quit your worrying and have a little faith in me. I'm not the Home's lawyer of choice for nothing, you know."

Chuckling, Marluxia pulled away from the taller man and nodded. "I know. Sorry."

"Good." Satisfied that the pink-haired man had sufficiently calmed down, Luxord switched his hold on Marluxia's shoulder for one on his hand and tugged gently. "Let's go see how Namine's doing, yeah?" He laughed softly at the other man's eager nod and used his grip on Marluxia's hand to lead him off along the hall to a small, nondescript door. "Lexeaus?" he called, knocking softly. "It's Dr. Shizen and Luxord Rekishi."

Only a moment passed before the door opened to reveal Lexeaus, and crowded behind him were the Silents, all looking up at Marluxia and Luxord with smiles on their faces.

"Hello," Marluxia sighed, kneeling so they could swarm past their Ward Father and hug him. The only one who didn't come forward was Namine. She stood back from the friends and man she had claimed as her family, patiently waiting for her turn. It wasn't until the Silents had finished greeting their doctor that Marluxia turned to the pale girl with a smile and held his arms open to her. Namine all but ran to him, her arms locking around his neck as he hugged her carefully.

"Papa…"

"How are you doing, Namine?"

"Okay," the blonde mumbled. She gave no sign that she meant to let go of him, so Marluxia simply smiled then stood, holding her in his arms, and moved to sit at the table that was the only furniture in the room. "Is the jury done?" Namine asked once the doctor had lowered himself into one of the chairs and allowed her to settle on his lap.

With hardly a sound, the other children returned to their seats as Luxord and Lexeaus stood by the door, talking quietly. A clock on the wall claimed that it was nearly five in the afternoon, which meant the children would want dinner in about an hour; hopefully, the jury would have announced its decision by then and they could all go back to the Home or perhaps go out to eat together.

Marluxia stroked the white-blonde hair that barely reached his chin, smiling slightly. "Not yet, but it won't be much longer. We just have to be patient," he assured her despite how very impatient he'd been acting only a few minutes ago. If Luxord had been listening, the blond man would have laughed and made some sarcastic comment about it. Namine, on the other hand, accepted his response and rested her head on his chest, sighing quietly as she watched the other children signing to each other about how exciting it was that they got to come to the trial and how they hoped they'd be back at the Home in time for supper because they were supposed to be having spaghetti with meatballs that night.

The small body resting against his own was almost completely still, yet Marluxia could tell that Namine was a great deal more anxious about the trial's outcome than she was letting on. He was actually surprised at how well she was hiding it, considering how much they both knew depended on what the jury decided. When he thought about it, however, he found it wasn't all that surprising. Namine had always been quiet—even for a Silent—and didn't often show her feelings. He was glad she trusted him enough to seek comfort from him, even though she hadn't and probably would never verbally ask for it.

"Mar."

"Hm?" Turning, Marluxia found that Luxord had moved to stand beside his chair. Their eyes met and instantly he knew what the blond was about to say.

"I've just been paged that the jury's finished deliberating. It's time to go back to the courtroom.

Finally. With a nod, the pink-haired doctor stood, still holding Namine, and walked back to the courtroom with Luxord as the Silents followed behind like odd little ducklings. Lexeaus brought up the rear, making sure none of the children fell behind or wandered off. When they reached the courtroom, Luxord, Marluxia and Namine continued to the front while Lexeaus quietly directed the other children to their proper seats. Just before he went through the gate, Luxord glanced back at the doctor and winked so that Marluxia smiled slightly as he settled in the same spot he'd occupied for the majority of the trial.

"Your Honor," Luxord murmured respectfully as he took his place at his table, and the judge nodded in acknowledgement.

"Has the jury come to a decision?" the judge asked, sounding almost bored.

"We have, your Honor," one of the juror's replied, standing. He was a tall man with thick brown hair and a stern look that made it clear he took things very seriously.

"And what have you decided?"

The juror glanced at his fellows before straightening his shoulders. "We find the defendant guilty, your Honor."

Marluxia smiled as relief washed over him and he let his shoulders droop slightly. Luxord turned and grinned at him, blue eyes triumphant. The judge merely nodded as if he'd expected nothing less and began shuffling the papers on his podium as the juror sat again. Voices from the spectators began softly then rose as more and more of them began talking amongst themselves about what would happen now.

"_No!"_

The scream silenced everything else and all eyes went to Larxene as the blonde woman stood and turned furious blue-green eyes on where Marluxia sat with Namine beside him. Before anyone could stop her, she abandoned her chair and stunned lawyer to cross the courtroom and lean over the railing that separated the jury and lawyers from the spectators, putting her face mere inches from Marluxia's.

"This isn't over," she hissed, nails digging into the wood of the railing. "I won't let you take her away from me."

"I think I already have, Miss Inazuma," Marluxia replied cooly, a protective arm around Namine's shoulders. The girl looked terrified, as if she'd never imagined her aunt could be so threatening. His words only made Larxene even angrier, but she didn't have a chance to respond before to pairs of hands grabbed her shoulders and arms, hauling her backwards away from the railing. Immediately, Namine wrapped her fingers around the fabric of his suit jacket as if afraid that Larxene would start yelling again; he squeezed her shoulders in an attempt to reassure her, eyes locked on the blonde woman's back as she was turned to face the judge, who gave her a look that very clearly disapproved of her behavior.

"Thank you, Reno, Rude."

The two men who'd taken hold of Larxene nodded. One had red hair that was almost the exact same shade as Axel's pulled back in a low ponytail. He was significantly smaller and skinnier than the other man, who was bald and had darker skin than the redhead. Both men were dressed in security guard uniforms and kept firm grips on Larxene even as she demanded to be let go.

"Miss Inazuma, if you cannot control yourself, I will have to have you escorted from the courtroom," the judge informed her in a tone just short of threatening, and Larxene finally stilled between the two security guards. "Thank you. Now, as you have been found guilty of willful neglect, your niece, Namine Kioku, will be removed from your care and placed in Fuseiai's Home for Troubled Youths as a ward of the state. Further, you are required to attend grief therapy at a clinic of the state's choice until you receive certification that you are emotionally stable. Only then will you be eligible to regain custody of Namine." To mark his decision, he banged his gavel once then got up and exited through the door behind his podium as Larxene was lead out through a separate door by Reno and Rude.

Once the door had closed behind Larxene and the security guards, Marluxia picked up Namine and stood, waiting as Luxord gathered his things into his briefcase and came back to the spectators' portion of the courtroom.

"Congratulations," Marluxia whispered with a small smile as an arm snaked around his waist.

Returning the smile, Luxord gave him a light kiss. "Thanks." Then he looked down at Namine and chuckled to see how wide her eyes had gotten when she'd seen them kiss. "Congratulations, little one."

Namine blushed and hid her face in Marluxia's shirt. "Thank you."

His smile still in place, Luxord ruffled her hair then guided Marluxia to the back of the room where Lexeaus was waiting for them, easily slipping between the countless other people standing and moving about the room. "Celebratory dinner, anyone?" he asked, his smile turning into a grin when the Silents nodded eagerly. "My treat, then."

"Come on, get in line!" Lexeaus called so the children would be able to hear him over the chatter that had so quickly filled the courtroom. Obediently, they lined up and followed Marluxia and Luxord all the way out of the courthouse to where Lexeaus had parked the Home's van. "Everyone in. Don't forget to put on your seatbelts." Working together, the three adults managed to get all eight children buckled in, then Lexeaus climbed into the driver's seat. "I'll just follow you, Doc."

Marluxia nodded and waved at the children as he and Luxord walked the short distance to where the lawyer's car was parked.

"Where are we going?" he asked once they'd both gotten in and Luxord had started the car.

"You'll see."

Used to his lover's cryptic games and love of surprises, Marluxia simply chuckled and looked out the window as they drove through the city, the van just behind them the whole way.

"Lux?"

"Yes?"

Turning his gaze from the window, the pink-haired doctor regarded his blond lawyer. "Are we really going to try to adopt Namine?" The other man looked surprised by the question and gave Marluxia a concerned glance.

"Of course we are. Why?"

"I don't know." His chin propped in his hand, Marluxia returned his gaze to the window. He was glad they'd won the case and that Namine would be safe, at least for now, and he was delighted that Luxord wanted to adopt her, but he couldn't help but consider all the challenges they were going to face while going through the adoption process. Even though they would adopt her through the Home with Mr. Fuseiai, he was worried. "Are we ready to be parents? I know we're old enough, but…"

"Mar." A hand taking hold of his own brought Marluxia's attention back inside the car and he turned to face the blond man once more. "You know we're ready. So what are you really worried about?"

He hesitated. "I…what if Namine doesn't want to be part of our family?"

Luxord couldn't help but roll his eyes even as he smiled. "Then ask her, you idiot. It's not that hard. We'll do it together after we eat, okay? Now quit worrying about every little thing and enjoy the fact that we just won that case."

"Sorry," the doctor sighed, then squeezed the hand covering his own. "You're right, as usual."

"As usual."

X

Empty, dirty plates covered the long table, accompanied by a mess of silverware, crumpled napkins and cups. Stomachs were patted in satisfaction as eleven figures leaned back in their chairs and sighed. As usual, Luxord had chosen the perfect place to go out to eat—a buffet that boasted to have the menu with the widest variety of food in the entire city. Having eaten more than his fill, Marluxia was pretty convinced that it did in fact have the widest selection he'd ever had the fortune to choose from.

A gentle nudge to his ribs made him look to where Luxord sat beside him, his movements lazy. "Hm?"

Blue eyes slightly glazed over as if he might fall asleep at any moment, Luxord gestured vaguely at Namine, making Marluxia smile fondly to see her already dozing in her chair. With a nod, he straightened in his chair then fixed his clothes as Luxord did the same. "Namine."

Jumping slightly, Namine woke and looked up at him with a sleepy frown. "Yeah?"

"Luxord and I have a very important question for you," the doctor told her, gaining the attention of everyone else at the table.

"What?"

Marluxia glanced at Luxord as a cue for him to start.

"We were wondering if you wanted to be part of our family, Namine," the blond man said quietly, and excited smiles broke out around the table as each of the Silents began signing their encouragement. Namine bit her lip as she hesitated.

"If it's okay with you, Namine," Marluxia began, smiling slightly, "we'd like to adopt you."

Unsure of what to say, Namine looked around the table. Kairi, who was sitting just to her right, took her hand under the table and squeezed gently as she nodded. One by one, she looked at each face and saw nothing but smiles and nods as small hands signed for her to say yes. She wanted to say yes. Still…adopted? Already? By Doctor Marluxia and the blond man?

"Papa…and Daddy?" she asked quietly, blue eyes landing on the lawyer.

Luxord seemed to consider it for a moment before he grinned and wrapped an arm around Marluxia's shoulders. "I think I like the way that sounds, Mar."

"So do I. Namine?"

It was overwhelming. She'd been content with the thought of living at the Home with her friends-that-were-like-siblings, but to be adopted, to live with Papa and have a _family…_ Just the thought caused stronger emotions than she'd felt in a long time, so strong that she couldn't even remember how to form the words, but that hadn't been a problem for a long time now.

Her mind made up, Namine smiled and lifted her hands. "Yes," she signed. Moving at the same time, Marluxia and Luxord got up and walked around the table to stand on either side of her chair then leaned down to hug her. Namine held onto them tightly, happy tears gathering under her eyes. Lexeaus cheered as Kairi, Demyx, Axel, Zexion, Roxas, Sora and Riku all clapped as loudly as they could for lack of a better way to express their happiness for their friend.

"We love you, Namine," Marluxia whispered.

Namine just nodded, still unable to speak. All in one day, no more Aunt Xene to ignore her, and now a family to call her own. She couldn't imagine a way to make it better.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Bah. Okay, OFFICIALLY, this is the end. I do have one more chapter planned out, though, and it will be up this coming Sunday. I AM SO SORRY that this is so late. In my defense, I've been terribly sick the last few days and barely managed to write anything that whole time. I was absolutely useless. But I'm feeling much better today and am going to try to catch up on all my stories before I go to work tonight. So, I hope this ending wasn't disappointing or anything…the "bonus chapter" will tie things up nicely so don't go away just yet! See you Sunday!


	19. Chapter 19

_Seven years later_

"Roxas, your friend is here!"

A muffled voice was the only response and Marluxia couldn't help but sigh a bit exasperatedly. Really, was it so hard to at least come to the doorway so they could talk like normal people? From his place at the top of the stairs, he glanced towards where the young blond boy stood in their entryway. He looked a bit nervous and wasn't wearing his usual camo-colored pants and vest. Instead, he was wearing dark jeans and a button up shirt; Marluxia couldn't help but wonder why the boy had chosen to dress up, but he knew Roxas would accuse him of snooping if he asked so he kept his questions to himself.

The sound of running footsteps reached him and he turned back to the stairs in time to see Roxas bounding up them two at a time and managed to step out of the way before the fourteen-year-old could knock him over.

"Slow down, Roxas. There's no need to go sprinting around."

His back to the doctor, Roxas rolled his eyes as he shrugged on his jacket, and the boy waiting for him hid a grin. "We're going to a movie and I don't wanna be late, Papa."

"Oh, I see. When did you get your license, Hayner?"

Jumping slightly out of surprise, Hayner offered a slightly nervous smile as he faced the pink-haired man. "Just last week."

"Well, drive safely. I want you home before eleven, young man." Marluxia waited for Roxas to look and him and nod his acceptance of his curfew before he smiled. "Have fun and stay out of trouble."

"We will!" And then they were gone, the door shutting firmly behind them. Shaking his head, Marluxia made his way down into the renovated basement and turned into the first door on the left, which was Roxas and Sora's shared bedroom.

"Sora, do you know what movie Roxas and Hayner are going to?"

The brunet looked up from the comic book he was reading. "Uh, that new one about the two spies, I think. They're eating out, too. Some fancy restaurant near the theatre."

Fancy restaurant? Marluxia's curiosity got the better of him. "Hayner looked nice. So did Roxas."

"Yeah, well, I'd want to look nice for my first date, too."

Both males froze as the words sank in, then Sora sat bolt upright on his bed, blue eyes wide with panic. "You can't tell him I told you that!"

Marluxia couldn't help but be a little hurt by the fact that Roxas was trying to keep secrets from him. "Why aren't I allowed to know? He's my son—I should know about it if he's going on a date."

"He didn't want you to make a big deal out of it. You can get a little fussy sometimes, Papa," Sora explained as gently as he could.

"Does your father know about this?"

"Dad has no idea. I'm the only one who was supposed to know so you really can't let him know I told, okay? He'll tell you when he's ready. They're just going on a date to try it out so it might not lead to an actual relationship."

"Oh." Feeling a little deflated, Marluxia let his gaze wander around the room that was surprisingly clean considering it was inhabited by two teenage boys. "Well, dinner will be ready soon." He left before Sora could answer and went to the next bedroom on that side of the basement, though this time he knocked before entering.

"What's up, Papa?" Axel was sitting at his desk looking over a form of some kind, probably the requirements list for a scholarship.

Marluxia offered a small smile as he moved closer to the desk and looked over the redhead's shoulder. "Just checking on how you're doing. How many of those do you have left?"

"Three due on Monday and five more by Thursday. I've already done…twelve?" He shrugged and leaned back in his chair to grin tiredly. "Too many. But it's worth it to avoid a huge debt from college."

A fond smile worked its way onto Marluxia's face and he tugged one of the eighteen-year-old's hair spikes playfully. "You know your father and I are willing to help pay for your tuition, Axel."

"Yeah, but Zexion and Demyx graduate next year, and Riku will the year after that. Then Sora will, and after him it'll be Roxas and Kairi and finally Namine. You and Dad have more than enough kids and definitely too much college tuition to worry about. I just lucked out with being the oldest of your weird adopted family."

Laughing, the doctor let his hand rest on Axel's shoulder affectionately. "I suppose you're right. It's going to be a hectic few years, getting you all out of the house and into the real world. But it's worth it."

Axel nodded and let out a resigned sigh. "I've been working on these for over two hours and I've only managed to finish one of them. I have to turn in some of my college applications by Monday, too."

Sympathetic, Marluxia patted the teen's shoulder. "Don't work too hard, and remember, you have all weekend, so don't skip out on sleep. You can take a break as soon as it's time for dinner."

"Mmkay," The redhead hummed, already back to reading the list; Marluxia exited the room quietly so as not to distract him then crossed the small hallway into the room opposite.

"Riku? Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes. Are you finished with your homework?"

The silver-haired teen nodded as he took off the large headphones he'd been wearing and turned in his desk chair. "Finished a while ago. Just working on some video editing for a friend."

"All right. I'll call you up for dinner."

"Kay."

The doctor stepped back into the hall and shut the door so Riku could continue working on his laptop in peace. To the right was the last bedroom in the basement he and Luxord had renovated for their six adopted sons, which Demyx and Zexion shared. Because he already knew that Demyx was in the garage with a few of his friends, practicing—they'd recently formed a band—he knocked softly before entering the bedroom to find Zexion curled up on his bed with a notebook propped against his legs as he wrote.

"Almost finished with that?" he asked, smiling slightly. Dark blue eyes focused on him and the seventeen-year-old nodded as he set down his pencil.

"Only a few chapters to go," the blue-haired teen signed, obviously proud that he'd almost finished the book he'd been working on for a little over a year. Despite years of therapy and being adopted by Marluxia and Luxord to live in a healthy, happy home, Zexion had never really gotten back into the habit of talking. He could and did talk if his hands were too full for him to set down whatever he was holding, but he preferred to use sign language, for reasons that no one ever bothered to ask for. It was just the way the quiet boy was, and seeing as everyone in the house was skilled in sign language, no one minded.

"That's great!" Marluxia opted to sign as well, smiling. "Let me know when it's finished, and we'll send manuscripts to a few of the local publishing companies."

Zexion nodded eagerly before he picked up his pencil and continued writing in a pace that was quick but not rushed. Marluxia retreated to the door and began to leave when he remembered the reason he'd gone there in the first place and stopped.

"Dinner will be ready soon so don't get too distracted," he called softly, knowing Zexion heard him even though the teen didn't verbally respond, then he shut the door and made his way back upstairs and into the kitchen.

Standing by the counter was Luxord, icy blue eyes focused on the instructions on the side of a box of bread mix. Wordlessly, Marluxia walked up behind the blond and hugged him around the waist, nuzzling into his back.

"Our son is on a date," he murmured, looking up as the taller man turned around and returned the embrace.

"Which one?"

"Roxas."

"Ah. Who's the lucky girl?"

Marluxia couldn't help but grin a little. "His friend, Hayner."

Interest lit up Luxord's eyes and he smirked back at his pink-haired partner. "Really? Hm. That will be fun."

"Yes, it will. But we're not supposed to know, so don't say anything about it when he comes home," Marluxia instructed when he remembered what Sora had said.

Luxord's smirk turned impish. "I won't, but I might mess with him a little as revenge for keeping secrets."

A laugh escaped the doctor and he reached up to kiss the still-smirking lawyer. "Feel free." Before Luxord could take advantage of how close they currently were, Marluxia pulled away and checked on the pasta that was simmering on the stove top. "Did you yell up to Kairi and Namine?"

"Yes. They said they'd be down in time to eat."

As if that was their cue, two pairs of running footsteps sounded on the floor above and only moments later, Namine and Kairi appeared in the doorway.

"Is dinner ready?" the redhead asked as she took her usual place at the table.

"Not yet," Marluxia replied, "but it won't be long now. That is, if Dad manages to make that bread."

Namine and Kairi giggled as the blond man scowled at his shorter partner.

"It's not as easy as it looks, you know," he grumbled as he opened the box and began following the printed instructions. Marluxia chuckled.

"I'm sure it's much harder than the box would lead me to believe." Turning, Marluxia leaned back against the counter so he could face his daughters. "You two are going over to Alice's tonight, right?"

"Yes, Papa," Namine answered in her usual quiet way. "Her birthday was yesterday so tonight's the party."

"Do you have your gifts for her wrapped and ready to go?"

"Yep! We already packed our overnight bags and everything, so we'll go after dinner," Kairi informed her parents. "Her friend Hatter is stopping by to pick us up."

The name was unfamiliar to him and Marluxia raised one eyebrow slightly. "Hatter?"

Kairi nodded. "He's one of her theatre friends. I think he helps make the costumes for their shows."

Even though he wasn't entirely comfortable with the thought of a boy he didn't know picking up his fourteen-and-fifteen-year-old daughters and taking them all the way to Alice's house for a sleepover, Marluxia didn't object. He trusted Kairi not to get in a vehicle with someone she didn't know and trust, and he knew Alice well enough to know that even if her friends were a little strange, they were harmless. "I suppose that's all right."

"He's really nice, Papa," Namine assured him, "and he'll probably come inside so you'll get to meet him before we go."

Slightly relieved, Marluxia nodded then glanced over to check on Luxord's progress with the bread, only to find the blond glaring at the box as if it had done something to personally offend him. "Lux?" The lawyer didn't move right away, though after a few more moments of silent glaring, he huffed and shoved the box into Marluxia's hands.

"I give up. You make the bread, I'll take care of the pasta."

Marluxia couldn't help but roll his eyes as he smiled, which made Namine and Kairi smother giggles as he traded places with Luxord and took over the making of the bread. It was some Italian recipe for cheesy bread that sounded delicious but would probably turn out horribly from even the slightest mistake. This being the case, the pink-haired doctor was especially careful while he gathered the listed ingredients and began to measure them out. Just over ten minutes later, sounds of movement from the basement reached them as boys' stomach reminded them that it would be dinner time soon.

"Someone get Demyx from the garage," Marluxia said without taking his eyes off the mixture he was working on. "And tell his friends that they're welcome to join us."

Namine was the first to move to do as the doctor asked, disappearing just as Axel, Sora, Riku and Zexion wandered in looking as if they were about to start chewing on the table if they weren't given proper food within a few minutes. Chairs scraped against the tile floor as they dropped into their proper places around the table. Only a moment later, Namine returned with Demyx in tow and resumed her seat.

"The guys had to go home, but they said thanks anyway for offering dinner," the blond boy said as he sat beside Zexion. Marluxia glanced at him and frowned.

"Your hands are filthy, Demyx. Please go wash up before we start eating."

Demyx looked at his hands as if surprised by the grim smeared on them that had resulted from setting up his equipment in the garage, but he didn't argue before getting up again and retreating to the bathroom to wash his hands. While he was gone, Luxord finished the pasta and began putting the food out on the table; Kairi wordlessly jumped up and began to hand out plates, cups and silverware to her siblings. By the time Demyx returned, everyone had their proper tableware and Marluxia had put the bread in the oven to bake while they ate. The moment everyone was seated the teenagers all but fell on the food as conversations picked up, and Marluxia watched his family with a small smile on his lips.

It had been difficult to gain permission to adopt all eight of them, and even more work to renovate the basement to make it suitable for the boys to live in, but it had been more than worth it. Axel would be graduating from high school in only a few months and attending college as a business major. Roxas was on his first date with a boy he'd been friends with for years and had recently expressed interest in becoming a teacher. Sora wanted to join the military, though Marluxia wasn't entirely sold on that idea. Zexion was almost finished writing a book and Riku had already been hired by one of the local music companies to help with advertising. Demyx was part of a band, Kairi was very serious about pursuing a career in fashion and Namine was set on following in her papa's footsteps and becoming a psychologist with a specialty in memory.

They were all growing up so fast; it hardly seemed like seven years had passed since the trial against Larxene. Seven good years, full of laughter and a few tears, full of the Silents rediscovering their voices one by one and making Marluxia happier than he'd ever have thought was possible.

Unconsciously, the doctor reached over until he found Luxord's hand and held onto it under the table; the blond didn't even blink, though he did smile a little. They were a strange bunch and certainly not what anyone would have expected to see living together under one roof, but Marluxia thought they were perfect. They were his, and they were perfect.

Author's Note:

Ta da! Here's the extra chapter I promised! I hope you all enjoyed it! So this story is officially over but never fear because I have plenty of other Kingdom Hearts fics to write. However, if anyone's interested, I will be writing little tidbits of this story that weren't shown in the chapters and posting them as notes on my FB page—the link is on my profile if you feel like checking them out, just know that I haven't posted any yet. Thanks for reading!


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